NASA wants Canadian boots on the moon as a first step in the exploration of deep space

OTTAWA – The head of the US Space Agency has said he wants to see Canadian astronauts walk on the Moon for a long time as part of a first step out.

Jim Bridenstine, director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said he hoped the space partnership between Canada and the United States would continue, as NASA embarked on creating of his new lunar bridge.

The United States is seeking broad international support for the next-generation space station that it plans to send into orbit around the moon from 2021.

Bridenstine says he wants Canada to bring its expertise in artificial intelligence and robotics, which could include a next-generation Canadarm arm on the moon bridge and more Canadian technology inside.

He added that NASA wanted to create a "sustainable lunar architecture" that allows people and equipment to travel regularly to the moon.

"If Canadians want to participate in missions on the moon's surface with astronauts, we welcome it and we want that day to come true," he told a small group of journalists in Ottawa today. ; hui. "We think it would be fantastic for the world to see people on the surface of the moon who do not only wear the American flag, but those of other countries."

He says that the return to the moon is a step towards a much more ambitious goal: an exploration that could include reaching Mars in the next two decades.

"The moon is, in essence, a testing ground for deeper space exploration," he said.

Bridenstine is in Ottawa for a major gathering of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, where speculation is rife about Canada's potential participation in the US space program.

Minister of Innovation Navdeep Bains, vocal facilitator for Canada's artificial intelligence hubs in Ontario and Quebec, is also expected to speak alongside former Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau. the current federal Minister of Transport.

On December 3, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques will travel to the International Space Station for his first mission.