A local celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing brought Canadian Space Agency Astronaut, Joshua Kutryk to St. John’s.
He spoke about his experiences training at NASA in Houston, Texas at the Johnson Geo Centre on Saturday.
Kutryk was joined via live stream for a Q&A with Canadian astronauts David Saint-Jacques and Robert Thirsk, who holds the Canadian record for most times in space.
There were other fun activities for families to learn more about the first steps taken on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969.
Kutryk says that the moon landing inspired his career. He says it’s one of the most difficult things that humankind has ever accomplished .
Kutryk says space exploration has grown a lot in 50 years and that the future is even brighter. He says we live in the life time where humans are going to travel and live on other planets. The next 100 years of space exploration is up to the scientists and leaders among us. The possibilities are breathtaking.
Joshua Kutryk sits with the crowd as they watch the live stream. pic.twitter.com/PwPP0uFoLi
— Allison King (@AllisonKingVOCM) July 20, 2019
Meanwhile, the President of the Royal Astronomical Society is doubtful that there will be any serious attempts for man to land on Mars for at least another century.
Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing with celebrations around the world, including St. John’s.
Randy Attwood says Mars has a thin atmosphere, unlike the moon, which makes it much tougher to enter the atmosphere and land. In addition, the cost and logistics of the venture is prohibitive, making colonization of Mars a distant dream.
He predicts it would be 150 years before it is even possible.