Longueuil, Quebec, November 2, 2010 -The final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled for November 3, 2010, at 3:52 p.m. EDT. This is the second-to-last shuttle mission before the Space Shuttle program retires next year.
This flight will mark Canadarm2's 28th mission since its installation on the International Space Station in 2001. Canadian astronauts have flown 14 times on the Space Shuttle and once on the Soyuz. Roberta Bondar, Bjarni Tryggvason and Julie Payette are the only Canadians to have flown aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.
Julie Payette's tribute to Discovery can be viewed at:
ftp://ftp.asc-csa.gc.ca?pub?communication?1_MOIS?20101028_sts133//p>
Here is a list of the Canadian content on Mission STS-133:
- HYPERSOLE
Hypersole is a life sciences experiment being conducted by the University of Guelph in cooperation with the Canadian Space Agency. This experiment aims to measure cutaneous sensitivity of the soles of the feet of astronauts, pre- and post-space flight. Understanding the relationship between the sense of touch and balance control could help persons with balance problems and astronauts who may potentially set foot on other celestial bodies following a lengthy stay in microgravity.
A backgrounder is available at: http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca?eng?iss?hypersole.asp
Video is available at this address: ftp://ftp.asc-csa.gc.ca?pub?communication?1_MOIS?20101028_sts133/
- APEX-CSA2
24 Canadian white spruce seedlings were launched to the ISS aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in April 2010. Samples will be returned to Earth after more than six months on the Station. The seedlings grew for 30 days in microgravity before being harvested and frozen in a special solution. Scientists will analyze their DNA to help understand how trees make wood that are of benefit to the forestry industry. APEX-CSA2 is led by Dr. Jean Beaulieu of Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Wood Fibre Centre in Quebec City, with the close collaboration of the Canadian Space Agency and NASA.
- VASCULAR
Blood samples collected as part of the VASCULAR experiment will be returned to Earth aboard Discovery for analysis. The Health Consequences of Long-Duration Flight experiment (VASCULAR) is an integrated investigation of mechanisms responsible for changes in blood vessel structure with long-duration space flight and is linked with functional and health consequences that parallel changes associated with the aging process. Dr. Richard Hughson of the University of Waterloo leads the VASCULAR science team, which is funded by the Canadian Space Agency and supported by NASA.
Canada has flown nearly 50 science experiments on the Space Shuttle since STS-09 (41A) in 1983. These experiments have given rise to over 220 scientific papers on subjects such as: bone loss; back pain; eye-hand coordination; blood pressure; ageing; plant cell development; optics; the ozone layer; machine vision systems; crystal growth; metal diffusion; composite materials resistance and thin film formation.
You will find a tribute from former CSA Astronaut Dave Williams on Canadian science here: ftp://ftp.asc-csa.gc.ca?pub?communication?1_MOIS/20101028_sts133?
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For more information:
Media Relations
Canadian Space Agency
