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November it seems is unofficially “space” month in Canada with a trio of national conferences including the 3rd Canadian Science Policy Conference, the first Canadian Aerospace Summit and the annual Canadian Space Summit with Ottawa and Calgary hosting these three events.

During the three-year trek of NASA’s Mars Rover Opportunity from Victoria crater to Endeavour crater, rover planners captured a horizon photograph at the end of each drive. 309 images taken during the 13-mile journey appear in this video. Video courtesy NASA JPL.

Scientists from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario (UWO) have partnered with researchers from the NASA Lunar Science Institute to study crater ejecta – the debris that is launched out of a crater during meteor impacts. They have developed a new theory, which will help future scientists when they examine samples of crater ejecta returned from the Moon, asteroids and terrestrial planets.

The Anik F2 satellite which went offline yesterday due to a software malfunction is back in service said Telesat, its owner. While the satellite was down it affected mostly northern communities in Canada’s arctic. Services affected included phone and banking services which were offline and caused First Air to cancel most flights.

One of NASA’s goals is to send astronauts to an asteroid in the future, something that’s never been done. While the hardware is being built, namely the Orion Multi-Purpose Crewed Vehicle that will take the astronauts to an asteroid, a more immediate concern is training astronauts on how to work on the asteroid once they get there. NASA’s NEEMO 15 mission is just one of …

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats visit the Orion facilities inside Johnson’s Space Vehicle Mockup Facility on Monday, Sept. 26. The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Module is being developed by NASA as the nation’s deep space exploration spacecraft. In conjunction with NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), Orion will carry astronauts to asteroids, Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

Yesterday NASA announced its long awaited plan to develop a Heavy Lift Vehicle (HLV) for its Space Launch System (SLS). Based on NASA’s history and most recent experience in developing the Constellation program I think it’s fair to ask the question, will NASA’s HLV ever fly?

Canada’s two newest astronauts, Jeremy Hansen and David Saint-Jacques, have now completed their two year basic training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques during basic spacewalking skills training in the Johnson Space Center Neutral Buoyancy Lab pool on July 6, 2011. (Credit NASA)

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen during basic spacewalking skills training in the Johnson Space Center Neutral Buoyancy Lab pool on. April 22, 2011. (Credit NASA)