The 5th of October 1984:
THE DAY WHEN THE FIRST CANADIAN DEPLOYED TO OUTER SPACE

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

– Neil Armstrong –

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When people hear the phrase, they can only think about one thing, which is space exploration. Neil himself was the first human who managed to land on the moon, marking his footstep at the satellite's surface, representing each human's desire to achieve the greatest achievement of all time. Decades after Neil Armstrong asserted an excellent triumph for America, her neighbor Canada made their own small step for the first time. After a long series of complex and rigorous selection, Canada sent Marc Garneau to conduct space exploration on the 5th of October 1984.

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Marc Garneau was born on the 23rd of February 1949. He graduated in 1970 from the Royal Military College of Kingston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics. Garneau began his service in 1974 as a combat systems engineer aboard the HMCS Algonquin at the Royal Canadian Navy, where he helped in designing a simulator used for weapons officers in using missile systems aboard Tribal class destroyers. Later, he worked as a project engineer for naval weapon systems in Ottawa for three years, from 1977 until 1980. In December 1983, he became one of six astronauts selected from no fewer than 4,000 candidates. He was assigned to the Canadian Astronaut Program from the Department of National Defense in February 1984 and left for space on the 5th of October 1984 (Canadian Space Agency, 2006).

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The space flight that Marc Garneau took was called STS-41-G, also known as the flight of many firsts. The flight was controlled and conducted by seven crew members comprising six Americans and a Canadian by boarding the space shuttle named Challenger. The mission that was settled for the flight was focused on studying the Earth through the use of a satellite. At the end of the first day in space, the astronauts managed to communicate with the Tracking and Data Relay System (TDRS) satellite. On the second day, the astronauts lowered Challenger's orbit to an altitude of 151 miles, allowing them to photograph the spiral eddies in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. On the third day, the crew lowered the orbit of Challenger to 140 miles. For the following days, the unit focused on their own part of experiments and data recording. Garneau concentrated on his CANEX (Canadian Experiments) sponsored by the Canadian government. Challenger's crew completed the last Earth observation on the final day and prepared the cabin for reentry. Challenger landed smoothly at KSC (Kennedy Space Center), with a total flight of 8 days, 5 hours, and 24 minutes (NASA). 

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Garneau continued his work until he resigned from the Canadian Space Agency in 2005. He has worked 678 hours in space during his missions and received many honors and awards for the recognition of his work. In August 2003, he received a Companion of The Order of Canada, the Canadian government's highest award to an individual. He was also named the Honorary Member of the Canadian Society of Aviation Medicine in 1988 and a Member of the International Academy of Astronautics in 2002. From his naval career, he received a title as an Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy. 

            

Marc Garneau has inspired millions of Canadians to have a career perspective on aerospace. He is the first and, therefore, the pioneer of Canada's future for space exploration. Garneau had dedicated most of his life to the continuity of scientific research and experimentation in Canada, especially space exploration. His dedication is proven by the countless awards that he has achieved for the past two decades. His work does not only affect Canada in particular but the whole world in general. Being the first to achieve something will enlighten others to have the spirit to do the same.