Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Bob Thirsk in Montreal for One Day only to Kick-off 2-year Canada-wide Space Education Project
MONTREAL, December 2, 2002 – When the first manned spaceship leaves Earth for Mars the astronauts may be growing and eating Canadian tomatoes in space. In preparation for that voyage, Canadian Astronaut Dr. Bob Thirsk will be in Montreal on December 4 to give a briefing to students about “Mission to Mars,” a cross-Canada research/education project.
Doctor Thirsk will be available for interviews before and after his speaking engagements. Reporters are welcome to cover his appearances. Dr. Mike
Dixon, who is coordinating the seeds research project at the University of Guelph, will also be available for interviews.
WHO: Dr. Bob Thirsk – Canadian Space Agency Astronaut
Dr. Mike Dixon, Associate Professor and Head of the Horticultural Science Division, University of Guelph
WHAT: Dr. Bob Thirsk and Dr. Mike Dixon will talk to some 500 grade 5 and 6 students about space farming on the red planet. They will encourage the students to participate in a research program called Tomatosphere, "Mission to Mars" in which children from 5,000 classes across Canada will engage in hands-on experimentation with tomato seeds exposed to a simulated Martian environment.
WHEN: Wednesday, December 4, 2002
WHERE: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. (in English)
Beaconsfield High School
250 Beaurepaire Drive
Beaconsfield
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (in French)
Canadian Space Agency
6767 route de l’Aéroport
Saint-Hubert
Tomatosphere “Mission to Mars” is a national educational outreach program sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Heinz Canada, the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology (CRESTech), and the University of Guelph.