About The Royal Canadian Geographical Society

CG in Zero G

Photo: Steve MacLean

Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean took along a little light reading for his 13-day mission aboard the space shuttle Atlantis last September. A mountain enthusiast, MacLean packed the Sept/Oct 2001 issue of Canadian Geographic in his official flying kit, which also included a rock from the summit of Mount Everest and a hand-embroidered crest from Grise Fiord, Nunavut, which is north of Devon Island and home to the Haughton Crater, a site used for Mars research. CG hovers in front of the commander’s window (above), 220 nautical miles from Earth, with the Canadarm2 in the background. On his most recent journey, his second time in space, MacLean became the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm2 in space and the second Canadian to walk in space.