[DundasBill]

What is Canada's future in space exploration? Will we always be someone's junior partner or will we eventually take the lead and do our own Canadian missions from start to finish like NASA, ESA or the Russians?

[Blue_Nose]

Given our relations and proximity to the US and NASA, what would be the point?

We can and should take a stronger role, but I would think it's an ridiculously expensive endeavour to take on by ourselves just to say we did.

[dog77_1999]

It is just way too expensive for Canada to do on its own. Canada's best bet is to do partnerships with other space agencies. NASA would probaly be best because they already employ many Canadians and Canadian firms.

[DundasBill]

Blue_Nose wrote:

Given our relations and proximity to the US and NASA, what would be the point?

We can and should take a stronger role, but I would think it's an ridiculously expensive endeavour to take on by ourselves just to say we did.

Our relations with the US are getting worse, and if Obama wins they will get even worse still. NASA might not be so willing to include Canadian equipment and astronauts in it's missions in the future. We could easily be completely shut out.

[Blue_Nose]

If that's indeed the case, I think it makes more sense to work on our relations with the US than try to develop our own space agency.

[Bacardi4206]

NASA needs Canada, without Canada there is no NASA as without Canada they would not have all the high-tech equipment to do there jobs. Like the Canadarm2, Dexter, etc. With that Pheonix mission going under away, majority of the equipment on board is Canadian. Along with our Astronauts, Astronauts do not grow on trees. Very little people apply for the job, and even more little actually qualify for it. Its very health demanding, physically demanding, and mentally demanding. Not very many people meet the requirements.

I doubt NASA would disclude Canada, despite what our relationships are. If they do however, then we can just partner up with Russia or China. We already spent a lot of money funding China's space agency, and getting it started. Might as well develope that more.

[DundasBill]

Bacardi4206 wrote:

NASA needs Canada, without Canada there is no NASA as without Canada they would not have all the high-tech equipment to do there jobs. Like the Canadarm2, Dexter, etc. With that Pheonix mission going under away, majority of the equipment on board is Canadian. Along with our Astronauts, Astronauts do not grow on trees. Very little people apply for the job, and even more little actually qualify for it. Its very health demanding, physically demanding, and mentally demanding. Not very many people meet the requirements.

I doubt NASA would disclude Canada, despite what our relationships are. If they do however, then we can just partner up with Russia or China. We already spent a lot of money funding China's space agency, and getting it started. Might as well develope that more.

Without Canada there is no NASA? Are you serious? NASA didn't need Canada
or the Canadarm or Dexter to get to the moon and they don't "need" us now. Any medium sized manufaturing plant in North America probably has several industrial robot arms. They are not all that special anymore, and I sure the companies that make them would love to make one for NASA. As for Phoenix, the majority of equipment is not Canadian. We supplied a weather station and a LIDAR unit which are secondary. The main experiment is to find ice under the surface and the equipment for that is American. As for astronauts, usually shuttle crews are all Americans, so I don't think they have trouble finding qualified people.
How do we fund China's space agency, and why do we fund it instead of our own?