It was on this day 53 years ago that a very special civilian organization was created in the friendly nation south of the border.
On Oct. 1, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower dissolved the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and transferred its assets and personnel to the newly created branch agency of the U.S. federal government, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
For over half a century this leading agency has pursued that noblest of dreams, launching men and women beyond the Earth's protective atmosphere and as far off as the moon, as well as sending unmanned vessels to celestial bodies across the local cosmos and even beyond our solar system.
To date, this space agency has been deeply involved in a variety of extraordinary and historic events, from the Apollo missions of the late '60s and early '70s, to the ongoing Cassini-Huygens mission currently unlocking the mysteries of Saturn.
Its vision is simple enough: "To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown, so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind." However, simple as the words might seem, NASA is an organization struggling with limited government funding and limited appeal to a population that might not see the benefit in space exploration.
Unfortunately, communicating NASA's value has always been challenging. While certainly there are obvious advantages to be had through the development of technologies necessary for the administration to conduct its research, it is entirely possible some, if not much, of that research will have little practical application.
Understanding the composition of Titan's atmosphere or investigating dark material on Lapetus might indeed never result in a cure for cancer or better vacuum cleaner, but that doesn't mean the quest for greater understanding of the universe is not valuable on a truly human level and deserving of tax dollars. But funding too has often been an issue for space exploration.
At its height in the 1960s, NASA's budget was approximately four per cent of the U.S. federal budget. Typically, though, it is below one per cent.
North of the border, parliament created the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to oversee Canada's space program in 1989. While like its American counterpart CSA suffers from somewhat limited government support, also like NASA it nonetheless does what it can with available resources to further humanity's understanding.
For example, Canada is one of several nation partners responsible for creating and maintaining the International Space Station. The CSA contribution includes Canadarm2, a robot named Dextre, as well as a mobile platform and storage facility.
While telecommunications technology is important, hopefully Canada's interest in outer space will always remain at least a tad more creative than improving cellphone and Internet coverage.
The value of space exploration really is threefold. Firstly, there are the immediate practical benefits of the research and study, and investment in orbiting infrastructure that makes things such as satellite TV and GPS navigation possible.
Secondly, there are the long-term benefits, which might not bear fruit for years, decades or even generations. Investing time and intellect towards such endeavours has the added benefit of teaching the modern world to think not only of the present occupants of this planet, but also towards the future. Really, investing in something that might take 500 years to effect change is a remarkably selfless act and speaks to something very noble within the human race.
However, the third and most important reason for supporting the space program is completely selfish and perhaps not at all 'practical.' The simple fact is, it is fun to learn and it's awesome to see the amazing things that exist in this universe. There is almost unfathomable beauty in the scope of Hubble's mighty lens. The best reason to study Saturn's rings is because they look glorious, and knowing how they came to exist and continue to function makes them look even better.
Space exploration is a wonderful gift we give ourselves. It is something we should cherish and nurture, and love for its own sake.
Carter Haydu can be reached at 691-1265.
