David Saint-Jacques is the next Canadian to fly to the International Space Station

Uploaded on May 16, 2016

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David Saint-Jacques is the next Canadian to fly to the International Space Station

2016-05-16 - Did you miss the announcement where Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, revealed the next Canadian astronaut to go to space? Here's a recap! (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA)

We are here today to find out who will be the next Canadian to fly to space.

Starting in August, our next Canadian astronaut will begin training for his mission. And in November of 2018, he will launch to the International Space Station, he will conduct science and maintain the Station and perhaps operate Canadian robotics on behalf of our country. Le prochain astronaute canadien à se rendre dans l'espace est un ingénieur, un astrophysicien, est un médecin. 

Very impressive, eh? So please join me in welcoming David Saint-Jacques. 

(applause)

I stand on the shoulders of giants. First, the astronauts who have preceded me. They were my childhood inspiration, my colleagues and my mentors. 

When I was a young boy, I saw a photo of the Earth seen from space. And I remember thinking, wow, that's a hard picture to take. So I asked my father, where was the photographer standing? And he told me, he was standing on the moon. The picture was taken by somebody who had left Earth. I realized that science could jump out of the pages of textbooks and send a human to the moon. Science could be pretty cool. 

Ayez un rêve fou et poursuivez-le. C'est vous les décideurs, les innovateurs, les ingénieurs, les scientifiques, les médecins de demain. Et peut-être même qu'un de vous, un jour sera astronaute. 

I look forward to living and working on board the Space Station and seeing the world floating in space, just like on that photo I saw when I was a child. Humbled to represent all Canadians on this mission, you pick me, you train me and now you're putting your trust in me, I promise to do my best to live up to your expectations. 

Merci beaucoup.

(applause)

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