NASA wanted to assure its ability to examine the spacecraft in orbit for signs of damage.
The space industry is developing and delivering benefits that tie into our immediate needs and priorities here on Earth-for example, medical and materials research, and satellite communications.
Canada's a huge country, so to be able to unite the country through communication satellite technology or to be able to observe it through remote sensing technology from space is a natural fit for a country like Canada.
I think the crux of the matter was that if we were going to become partners in, for example, the International Space Station, we had to gain the respect of a country like the United States and particularly its space organization, NASA.
I like the opportunity to travel the world and work in close company with other people.
I went to military college in Canada and graduated as an officer in the Navy but also as an engineer.