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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, July 4, 2013 | 6 Spotlight "Connected to your Community" At left, August 18, 2007 -- Flight Day 11 -- Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams, STS-118 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth and nal session of extravehicular activity as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the ve-hour spacewalk, Williams and astronaut Clay Anderson (not in photos), Expedition 15 ight engineer, installed the External Wireless Instrumentation System antenna, attached a stand for the shuttle's robotic arm extension boom and retrieved the two Materials International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) to be brought back on the shuttle. Above, Williams aboard the station's Quest airlock. At right, Williams without his spacewalk suit. Spectacular view of Earth from Canada Arm continued from p.1 sire to become an astronaut back to when he was six and witnessed the shuttle carrying Alan Shepard blast off into space. Inspiration at what he had seen, however, turned to dismay because at the time Canada did not have an astronaut program. With his dream dashed, Williams focused on underwater exploration. He began scuba diving at the age of 12. "To do that, you have to learn a lot about physiology and things. I found it was interesting learning about how humans adapt to unique environments," said Williams. "That's when I decided to become a doctor." Williams attended McGill University in Montreal earning a Master of Science in the Physiology Department, a Doctorate of Medicine and a Master of Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine. He would hold such positions as emergency physician with the Emergency Associates of Kitchener, Waterloo and director of the Department of Emergency Services at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre in Toronto. In June 1992, Williams' two passions of medicine and space exploration collided when the Canadian Space Agency selected him as one of four successful candidates from a eld of 5,330 applicants to begin training as an astronaut. Williams, married and a father of two, completed his training and in 1998 ew aboard the space shuttle Columbia as a mission specialist. The 16-day space ight saw Williams and the other crew members serve as both the subjects and operators for 26 life science experiments. The tests were dedicated to the advancement of neuroscience research and focused on the effects of microgravity on the brain and the nervous system. "I was really surprised I was picked | photos courtesy of NASA It's an amazing sensation, especially when you are riding on the end of the (Canada) Arm. If you are doing that, the space station is behind you, so you don't see the space shuttle and the space station so it feels like you are just perched up there 300 km away from the Earth. It's pretty spectacular. Retired astronaut and Oakville resident Dave Williams to be a part of the new astronaut group hired in 1992 and really honoured and proud to be able to represent Canada in this unique environment," said Williams. "It is very competitive selecting the science for these missions and we had some experiments from York Univer- sity that were selected to go. So that was a real thrill doing Canadian science in space." Williams said the research carried out during this mission increased human understanding of certain aspects of the brain and nervous system, which may one day help people suffering from strokes or other nervous system ailments. When Williams returned to Earth he was made Director of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas. This made him the rst non-American to hold a senior management position at NASA. During that time he served as the crew commander of the NEEMO 9 underwater training mission, which assessed methods of delivering medical care to a remote location, much like what would have to be done on a long ight in space. In 2007, Williams returned to space in the space shuttle Endeavour to carry out additional research, but also helped install a truss system, an external stowage platform, and gyroscope on the International Space Station. Williams would perform three space walks during this ight, a record for a Canadian astronaut -- totalling 17 hours and 47 minutes in duration. "It's a pretty remarkable feeling because you're travelling at 8 kilometres a second, which is about eight times faster than a ri e bullet, and you are looking down at the Earth about 300 km below you," said Williams. "It's an amazing sensation, especially when you are riding on the end of the (Canada) Arm. If you are doing that, the space station is behind you so you don't see the space shuttle and the space station so it feels like you are just perched up there 300 km away from the Earth. It's pretty spectacular." see Williams on p.7 NEIL OLIVER Volume 51 | Number 79 467 Speers Road, Oakville ON (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. 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