Remembering Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau (1949-2025)

Marc Garneau, born February 23, 1949 in Quebec City, Quebec, passed away today after a brief illness. He was the first Canadian in space when he launched on Challenger (STS-41-G) in October 1984. He went into space twice more, in May 1996 aboard Endeavour (STS-77), and finally in December 2000 aboard Endeavour (STS-97). 

He was appointed executive vice-president of the Canadian Space Agency in 2001, and then he was announced as president in November 2001. He resigned from the CSA in November 2005.

He served as a member of Parliament for Notre-Dame-de-Grace - Westmount from 2008-2023.  During that time, he served as Minister of Transport, and Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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Endeavour (STS-77) launched 1996

STS-77 crew

Front row (L-R): Curtis Brown, John Casper

Back row (L-R): Daniel Bursch, Mario Runco, Marc Garneau, Andrew Thomas

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-77), launched May 19, 1996, carried a Coca-Cola fountain dispenser into space as part of opening the commercial space frontier.  Its crew consisted of Commander John Casper, Pilot Curtis Brown, Andrew Thomas, Daniel Bursch, Mario Runco, and Marc Garneau (CSA).

The Coca-Cola dispenser was developed for use on the Endeavour to see if carbonated beverages can be produced in microgravity, which causes bubble nucleation resulting in foam formation.

They returned to Earth May 29.

Happy birthday, Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau!

Marc Garneau, born February 23, 1949 in Quebec City, Canada, is the first Canadian to go into space.  He is a veteran of 3 space shuttle flights.

His first flight was aboard Challenger (STS-41-G) as payload specialist in October 1984.  He conducted a series of experiments sponsored by the Canadian government.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-77) in May 1996 to the space station Mir as mission specialist.  One of the experiments, the  Commercial Float Zone Facility was a collaboration of Canada, the US and Germany.

Garneau's third and final flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-97) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in December 2000.  He manipulated the Canadarm during the mission in support of the EVAs.

He became president of the Canadian Space Agency in November 2001.  He resigned his position to enter Canadian politics in 2006.



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Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Daniel Bursch!

Daniel Bursch, July 25, 1957 in Bristol, Pennsylvania, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions and one mission to the International Space Station.

His first flight was on Discovery (STS-51) as mission specialist in September 1993.  During the flight, he rode a stationary bike as part of a continuing study of using exercise to counteract the effects of weightlessness on the body.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-68) as mission specialist September-October 1994.  He partook in a radar experiment to search for environmental changes in Earth's land masses and oceans since the previous mission.

Bursch's third mission was on Endeavour (STS-77) in May 1996.  A Coca-Cola fountain was on board to see if carbonated beverages could be produced from the carbon dioxide and water stored separately.

His fourth trip into space was on Endeavour (STS-108), the fourth mission to the International Space Station, as a member of Expedition 4. Bursch performed 2 EVAs during his six-month stay. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut John Casper!

John Casper, born July 9, 1943 in Greenville, South Carolina, is a veteran of 4 space shuttle flights.  After getting a Maser of Science degree in Astronautics from Purdue University in 1967, he attended U.S. Air Force to become a fighter pilot. He flew 229 combat missions in the Vietnam War. 

He served as pilot on his first space flight on Atlantis (STS-36) February-March 1990.  It was a Department of Defense flight so its payload was confidential.

His second flight was as commander on Endeavour (STS-54) January 1993, during which the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite was deployed.

Casper was assigned as commander aboard Columbia (STS-62) in March 1994.  The landing of the mission was chronicled by the Discovery Channel for a special featuring the Space Shuttle program.

His fourth and final mission was as commander aboard Endeavour (STS-77) in May 1996.  A Coca-Cola fountain dispense with Coca-Cola and Diet Coke was taken aboard. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mario Runco!

Mario Runco Jr., born January 26, 1952 in the Bronx, New York, is a U.S. Navy Officer and an astronaut, a veteran of three space shuttle flights.

His first mission into space was aboard Atlantis (STS-44) in November 1991 as mission specialist to deploy a Defense Support Program satellite. 

His second mission was on Endeavour (STS-54) in January 1993 as mission specialist. He and Greg Harbaugh conducted a 4.5 hour EVA to evaluate the limits of human performance during extravehicular activities.  This was in anticipation of building the International Space Station.

His third and final flight was as mission specialist on Endeavour (STS-77) in May 1996.  Runco made several appearances on Sesame Street as part of his Physics of Toys scenes.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Andy Thomas!

Andrew Sydney Withiel Thomas, born December 18, 1951, is the first Australian-born professional astronaut in space.  Fellow countryman Paul Scully-Power was the first Aussie in space but he was an oceanographer.  Thomas has flown on 5 shuttle missions, including time spent on Mir.

His first mission was on Endeavour (STS-77) May 1996 as a Mission Specialist. On January 23, 1998, he took off on Endeavour (STS-89) and transferred to the Mir spacecraft where he spent four months.  He returned to Earth in May aboard Discovery (STS-91).

In March 2001, he flew on Discovery (STS-102) to the International Space Station for resupplying and rotating Expedition 1 and Expedition 2 crews. 

His fifth and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-114) for NASA's "Return to Flight" mission July-August 2005.  It was the first space shuttle mission following the Columbia disaster.

Thomas retired from NASA in February 2014.