The Junior Astronauts program designs activities for youth in grades six to nine in science and technology, fitness and nutrition, and communications and teamwork to interest them in a future in science, technology, engineering and math.
Saint-Jacques told his audience to take care of themselves, especially when it comes to physical and mental health. He said they might feel young and like they will be healthy forever but they still need to take care of what they eat, much they sleep, and to exercise at least a little bit.
“Your body really is the most important tool you have to accomplish whatever dream you have,” he said.
Saint-Jacques said it’s never too early to practice taking responsibility and becoming a person worthy of confidence.
“As a child, a lot of people make decisions for us and that’s OK but eventually, slowly you need to become responsible for yourself and it’s always good to practice holding your promises to practice taking responsibility for things and becoming someone others can trust I think is really important for whatever you want to do in life,” he said.
Saint-Jacques said it’s important to have fun because you need to have a balance.
“We all want to be someone useful and we all want to be the most beloved person but you have to have fun because you’re no good when you’re sad and the only way to have fun and be successful in your career is to do something you love,” he said.
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques (Photo: Courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency)
Saint-Jacques said it was harder to adjust back to Earth than it was to adjust to space. He said he lost his sense of balance, his body forgot to pump blood more to his head than his feet, and like he had the flu or was moving in slow motion which astronauts tend to call “Space Brain.”
One question asked was how he took care of his mental health.
He said when he was having a hard day, he would go to the window and look at Earth to remember why he’s doing it. He said because of the pandemic, it’s like every person is an astronaut in their home dealing with many similar problems on a different scale.
“There’s graffiti on the space station left by a very old astronaut from a very long time ago it says the most important thing is what you’re doing right now,” he said.
Saint-Jacques said one way to do well is to resolve to talk more to avoid explosions but leave others alone if they need space. He suggested getting organized, don’t stay in pyjamas all day, and make a schedule otherwise, you won’t achieve what you want.
“Sometimes we have a dream that seems too big, too crazy, too ambitious, and we’re afraid that we’re not going to make it. The error is to decide not to try in case we fail. That would be a big mistake,” said Saint-Jacques.
“Your dream is not a destination, it’s just a direction. It’s like the North Star. You’ll never get to the North Star ever, but you can still use it as a guide.”
Some of the questions asked were:
How long did it take to re-adjust to the gravity on Earth (One week before he could walk without holding someone’s hand, a month before he could ride a bike and two months to feel normal)
What was the hardest training he took (Learning to speak Russian in order to learn to fly the Russian rockets, plus the three years away from his family and the balance between work, family and friends)
What were some of the first noticeable changes his body experienced in a zero-gravity environment (The feeling of his organs floating up, like jumping off a high diving board, and nausea, congestion and disorientation)
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques (Photo: Screengrab)
How can you tell when you pass through the atmosphere (the rocket stops shaking)
What it was like when he first arrived at the space station (The feeling that it had moved from being a machine to a home with his friends)
How often were you able to communicate with people on Earth and how often is it with family (Making a call depends on the satellite connection. He called his wife at least every day and every weekend had a video conversation with his family)
Was there anything he had to improvise for on the ISS (Some repairs needed to be done because there was no procedure so every day there was improvisation because you can’t plan everything)
If space has a sun, why is it so dark (In space even during the day you see the sun while on Earth the sky is blue because sunlight goes through the atmosphere, then diffuses depending on the colours but the blue light doesn’t go straight through although red does. Space is black because it has no reason to be any other colour)
Is it possible to one day live on Mars (There’s a lot of issues about living in space so first, we have to get Mars, then we have to deal with the radiation, and then figure out how to land people on Mars ready to work, or to keep them alive since Mars has nothing we need so that will need to require life support systems)
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
