VICE-REGAL PATRON
Her Excellency
the Right Honourable
Michaëlle Jean C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.
Governor General of Canada
website: www.gg.ca
HONOURARY NATIONAL
PATRON
MARC GARNEAU, C.C.(PhD)
ASTRONAUT, PRESIDENT CANADIAN
SPACE AGENCY 2001-2005
Born in February 1949 in Quebec City,
Canada, Marc Garneau received his early education in Quebec and
in London, England. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in
engineering physics from the Royal Military College of Kingston,
and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Imperial College
of Science and Technology in London, England.
After earning his PhD in London,
Garneau returned to Canada as a combat systems engineer with HMCS
Algonquin. He went on to serve as an instructor in naval weapon
systems at the Canadian Forces Fleet School in Halifax, where
he designed a simulator to train weapons officers in the use of
missile systems aboard Tribal class destroyers. Garneau served
as project engineer in naval weapon systems in Ottawa from 1977
to 1980, then returned to Halifax with the Naval Engineering Unit,
which troubleshoots and performs trials on ship-fitted equipment.
There, he helped develop an aircraft-towed target system to score
accuracy in naval gunnery. Promoted to commander in 1982 while
at Staff College, Garneau was transferred to Ottawa in 1983 and
became design authority for naval communications and electronic
warfare equipment and systems. In January 1986, he was promoted
to captain. He retired from the Navy in 1989.
One of six Canadian astronauts selected
in December 1983, Garneau was seconded to the Canadian Astronaut
Program from the Department of National Defence in February 1984
to begin astronaut training. He became the first Canadian astronaut
to fly in space as a payload specialist on shuttle mission 41-G
in October 1984. He was named deputy director of the Canadian
Astronaut Program in 1989, providing technical and program support
in the preparation of experiments to fly during future Canadian
missions. He was selected for mission specialist training in July
1992.
Garneau reported to the Johnson Space
Center in Houston, Texas in August 1992. He completed a one-year
training and evaluation program to be qualified for flight assignment
as a mission specialist. He initially worked on technical issues
for the Astronaut Office Robotics Integration Team and subsequently
served as capsule communicator (CAPCOM) in mission control during
shuttle flights. A veteran of three space flights (STS-41G in
1984, STS-77 in 1996 and STS-97 in 2000), Garneau has logged more
than 677 hours in space.
In February 2001, Garneau was appointed
executive vice president of the Canadian Space Agency and in November
of that same year, became the Agency’s president.
Garneau is an honorary fellow of the
Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, as well as a member
of the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia and
the Navy League of Canada. He was named honorary member of the
Canadian Society of Aviation Medicine in 1988 and a member of
the International Academy of Astronautics in 2002. He is also
the National Honourary Patron of Hope Air and Project North Star
and the president of the Board of the McGill Chamber Orchestra.
He was appointed as an officer of the Order of Canada in 1984,
and named a companion of the Order of Canada in 2003. In 2006,
he was named to the Board of Directors for UTS Energy Corporation,
a company focused on growing and developing oil sands assets.
In that same year, he accepted an
invitation by the Minister of the Environment of Ontario to become
a member of the Executive Committee on Transboundary Air Pollution
and he became a public board member of the Board of Directors
of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Other awards and accolades:
