
Science & Tech
Space mining is not science fiction, and Canada could figure prominently
The mining industry is actively looking towards new frontiers in mining
- 1070 words
- 5 minutes
Exploration
In 1969, Buzz Aldrin stepped out of a spacecraft and saw the Earth as a bright blue sphere more than a quarter of a million miles away. I was 32 years old and obsessed with the unfolding story of humans landing on the moon. As a freelance journalist for the Toronto Telegram, I was at Cape Kennedy to witness his fiery departure on a vertical cloud of rolling thunder. For me, Apollo 11 was the event that defined the century.
Years later, I met Buzz and we scuba dived inside a tropic ocean. As the years passed, I listened to him talk with great passion about sending astronaut teams to Mars. He encouraged me to write a book about leadership and teamwork in lethal environments.
Buzz is a study in temperament and grace under pressure. A master pilot and astronaut, he was at home in the tightly controlled world of technical memos and operating procedures. He was not trained to deal with celebrity. For years after his moon flight, he struggled with clinical depression and alcohol addiction. He looked deep inside himself and found a new orbit. Unafraid to share his life story, he wrote two biographies: Return to Earth and Magnificent Desolation.
Buzz is loyal to friends and eager to share his insights. Thank you, Buzz, for inspiring me to go to tough places and do hard things. Fifty years later, here are thoughts about how you carried the fire to the moon.
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Science & Tech
The mining industry is actively looking towards new frontiers in mining
Environment
Michel Doyon, manager of flight and systems operations at the Canadian Space Agency, walks us through what space debris is and its impact on Canada
Science & Tech
Hansen will be part of the NASA crew for Artemis II, which will see the astronauts spending up to three weeks on a flyby trip to the moon in 2024
Exploration
A conversation with Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, who is getting ready to travel to the International Space Station