The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) recently held its annual general assembly in Fredericton between July 1-4. One key event at the general assembly was an open forum and panel discussion titled “Boldly Navigating Where no one has Gone Before: The Future of the RASC in the 21st Century. The panel discussion was recorded for the Starizona’s Let’s Talk Stars radio programme hosted by …

From researcher Dale Andersen: “During the PLRP field season of 2009, Dr. Ian Hawes and I made several night dives. Here you can see Ian exploring the microbialites, searching for grazers such as amphipods and snails that might have an impact upon the overall growth and morphology of the structures. The underwater video was taken with my Sony PMW-EX1 in a Gates Housing using a …

You won’t find an official Canadian Space Agency (CSA) account on Twitter or any other social media network either, unless you count a rarely updated YouTube account. That does not mean you won’t the CSA mentioned on social media sites like Twitter on a daily basis. And if you’re familiar with Twitter you know that topics can be organized by including a hash tag with …

The wheels and suspension system have been installed on NASA’s next Mars rover, Curiosity, a key step in assembly and testing of the flight system for the Mars Science Laboratory mission slated to launch next year. The centerpiece of MSL, Curiosity has six wheels and a rocker-bogie suspension system like its smaller predecessors: Spirit, Opportunity and Sojourner. Each wheel has its own drive motor and …

The Canadian Space Agency today issued a call for proposals to build two Lunar Exploration Light Rover (LELR) prototypes at maximum cost of $11 million per rover. Up to two contracts will be awarded with each contract requiring a prototype to be built. Only one contract will be awarded per bidder. Proposals are due by August 17th.

In an article posted on Spaceflight Now Gilles Leclerc, Director General of Space Technologies at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) confirms that the International Space Station (ISS) partners have contacted Russia about purchasing an additional Soyuz spacecraft, potentially one new flight per year between 2013 and 2016. Currently an additional seat on a Soyuz costs $56 million based on the last contract signed by the …

A group of researchers from academia, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and NASA are currently at Pavilion Lake in British Columbia exploring and studying the origin of rare freshwater carbonate rock formations found there. This research not only helps us better understand our knowledge of the earth it prepares for future exploration of the moon and Mars.

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced today that it has awarded two contracts to MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) and one to the University of Calgary for concepts studies for Canada’s participation in NASA’s New Frontiers program. Each of the contracts is valued at $500,000.

In a surprise move the White House yesterday released a National Space Policy giving reporters scant notice and leaving many to wonder how serious the Obama administration is with respect to U.S. space activities. The policy which focuses on stronger international cooperation comes at a time when the White House is an a protracted battle with congress over the future of NASA’s Constellation space exploration …

Where: University of Western Ontario – Center for Planetary Science and Exploration Dates: September 7th-15th, 2010 Web site: http://planetsci.uwo.ca/Graduate/ShortCourse2010.html Course Description (PLANETSC 9602) This is an intensive 7-day modular course on planetary science. The focus of the course will be on the fundamental processes that have shaped the terrestrial planets and their moons, and asteroids. Particular emphasis will be placed on investigations of the Moon, …