5 Canadian space inventions (that aren’t the Canadarm)

By Blog of Lists - Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 9:09 AM - 0 Comments

Mike Dixon, students from Chris Hadfield school, & astronaut Robert Thirsk plant tomatoes with seeds that have been in space (CSA photo)

The Canadarm, which made its debut in 1981 and was retired last year is, without a doubt, one of the most famous robots ever in space. But while Canada’s space program has become synonymous with this giant grappler, researchers here have contributed to space science in all sorts of ways.

1. Greenhouses in space: At the University of Guelph, Mike Dixon and his team are working on “biological life support”—systems that will help sustain long-term human exploration to distant planets. “Canada currently leads the world in research and technology development in this field,” says Dixon, director of Guelph’s Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility, where they’re finding ways to grow plants inside greenhouses with techniques that could one day allow us to grow crops on the moon or Mars.

2. Space vision system: Conditions in space can switch from extreme dark to brightness, making it hard for astronauts to gauge distance and speed with eyesight alone. The Canadian Space Vision System, which was first thought up about three decades ago, uses TV cameras as sensors to help astronauts see better, giving information about a specific target so they have an easier time locating it, and helping the Canadarm and Canadarm2 do their work.

3. Microgravity isolation mount: When astronauts attempt to do science experiments in space, they can find their results bungled by tiny disturbances in microgravity caused by on-board equipment like fans and thrusters, or even the movement of the astronauts themselves. To make it easier, Canadians developed the microgravity isolation mount, which uses magnetic levitation to protect fragile experiments from the spacecraft’s vibrations. It was first launched into space in 1996.

4. STEM antenna: Invented by Canadian inventor George J. Klein, the STEM antenna (short for “storable tubular extendible member”) looks like a roll of tightly coiled steel, like a large measuring tape. Once it’s in space, the roll can be unwound with a small motor into a strong tube to become an antenna. When Canada’s first satellite, Alouette I, was launched in 1962, it carried four STEM antennae; the design was also used on Mercury and Gemini spacecraft that brought the first Americans into space.

5. Landing gear on the Apollo lunar module: Using a landing system designed by Canada’s Héroux-Devtek, the Apollo lunar module was the first vehicle to take humans to another surface beyond Earth. Facing a tight timeline in the space race between the U.S. and Russia, Héroux-Devtek produced the landing gear systems used in all six moon landings; their hardware can still be found on the moon today.

Sources: Canadian Space Agency, Mike Dixon
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12 things you didn’t know were invented by Canadians

By Blog of Lists - Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 1:20 PM - 0 Comments

threeseamonsters/Flickr

1. Kitchen garbage bags: Three men—Harry Wasylyk, Larry Hansen and Frank Plomp—all separately came up with the idea in the 1950s.

2. Lawn sprinkler: Invented in 1920 by Elijah McCoy, the son of runaway slaves in Ontario. McCoy was one of Canada’s most prolific inventors. Among his other 56 creations: the ironing board.

3. Odometers: In 1854, Nova Scotia’s Samuel McKeen put a device on his carriage to measure wheel turns.

4. Robertson square-headed screwdriver: Invented by P.L Robertson in 1908.

5. Walkie-talkie: Alfred Gross invented the walkie-talkie in 1938.

6. Instant replays: In 1955, CBC producer George Retzlaff introduced the world to
the first in-game sport replays.

7. Bloody Caesar: Invented in 1969 by restaurateur Walter
Chell in honour of a new Italian restaurant that opened in Calgary.

8. Wonderbra: Invented by Louise Poirier who, in 1963, was working for a Montreal-based lingerie company.

9. Five-pin bowling: Invented by T.E. Ryan of Toronto in 1909.

10. Paint roller: Invented by Norman Breakey of Toronto in 1940.

11. Pablum: Created by researchers at the University of Toronto in 1930. Royalties from its sales continue to support research at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.

12. Road lines: Yes, there was a time when drivers had no lanes to stay
in, until 1930 when John Millar, an Ontario engineer, thought up the simple idea of painting lines on roads.

Sources: Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, various websites

Have you ever wondered which cities have the most bars, smokers, absentee workers and people searching for love? What about how Canada compares to the world in terms of the size of its military, the size of our houses and the number of cars we own? The answers to all those questions, and many more, can be found in the first ever Maclean’s Book of Lists, hitting stands in time for Canada Day.

Buy your copy of the Maclean’s Book of Lists at the newsstand or order online now.