Longueuil, Quebec, August 21, 2007 After a 13-day mission, the space flight of Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Dave Williams ended in a perfect landing of Space Shuttle Endeavour at 12:32 p.m. EDT at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
"Mission accomplished!" affirmed Dave Williams, shortly after landing. "We achieved all our mission objectives and came back knowing that we were successful in continuing the assembly of the International Space Station. Performing three spacewalks for me was an out-of-this-world experience and one I will carry with me forever. Canadian space technology also played a critical role during this complex assembly mission showcasing once again our talent and ingenuity to the world."
"Welcome back Dave and congratulations to you and the crew of STS-118 on a successful mission," said the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency. "Mission STS-118 was a visible demonstration of Canadian innovation and excellence with three flawless spacewalks performed by Canadian Astronaut Dave Williams and our Canadian technology, all contributing significantly to the ongoing efforts to construct and use the International Space Station." added Minister Prentice.
During the flight, Dave Williams performed three spacewalks spending 17 hours and 47 minutes outside the space station, a Canadian record. He also conducted a Canadian scientific experiment, called PMDIS (Perceptual-Motor Deficits in Space), on flight day 5 with NASA colleague Alvin Drew. On Monday, August 20, students in La Ronge, Saskatchewan had the unique opportunity to ask questions to Astronaut Williams as part of a live downlink event from the shuttle. Canadian Astronaut Dave Williams is inspiring young people across the nation to recognize the explorer within them, encouraging them to play an active role as a member of the next space generation.
Canada is preparing for its next space mission as Dextre, the third and final element of the Mobile Servicing System, part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station, will be delivered to the station. Dextre will be flown to the space station in February 2008 during mission STS-123.
CSA's Mission STS-118 Web site: www.space.gc.ca/sts-118
Video, animations and pictures are available at this address: ftp://ftpsts118.space.gc.ca/users/jjanu/pub/
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For more information, please contact:
Media Relations
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: 450-926-4370
www.space.gc.ca
