Hello World Travelers,
FYI, we are moving our December 10th, 2022, TCC Canada meeting to January 21st, 2023 — for a remarkable reason:
I am thrilled and honoured to announce that Dr. Dave Williams, an esteemed Canadian and NASA “space traveler,” will address Canada’s “utmost world travelers” as our in-person TCC Canada guest speaker on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023. The meeting will begin at noon EST at The Hive in downtown Toronto (950 Dupont St. 3rd floor).
This will be a hybrid meeting with an in-person presentation with Dr. Dave as well as a Zoom participation option for members as well.
Please RSVP by email to me (rshaver@thehiveinc.com) if you are planning to attend in person or if you would like a Zoom link invite.
Dr. Dave, the ultimate (space) traveler, knows what it is like to look down on our amazing planet and not see any borders (although we love borders), and seeing just mountain ranges, oceans, cities, polar regions, deserts, lakes, rivers and more — “where there are no boundaries between countries — just life on one planet,” as Dr. Dave says.
Incredibly, on two space shuttle missions, first on Columbia, Dr. Dave orbited the Earth 256 times, covered over 10 million kilometers, and spent over 15 days in space. Then, a few years later, on Endeavour, he traveled 8.5 million kilometers in space, on a mission that was completed in almost 12 days. That is a lot of “world travel!”
As you will see below, in addition to being an astronaut, Dr. Dave is also an aquanaut, jet pilot, ER doctor, scientist, CEO, and former Director of Space & Life Sciences at NASA Johnson Space Center. Incredible credentials indeed!
Best of all, Dr. Dave is a wonderful down-to-earth guy.
Some of Dr. Dave Williams’ bio highlights:
Dave joined an exclusive club when he blasted into space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, and again on Shuttle Endeavour where he walked out into the great beyond. Having also lived and worked in the world’s only underwater ocean laboratory, he became Canada’s first dual astronaut and aquanaut. The veteran of two space shuttle missions, he has logged more than 687 hours in space, including three spacewalks, the highest number of spacewalks performed by a Canadian astronaut. Between his two space missions he was an executive with NASA when the agency appointed him as director of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate, making Dave the first and only non-American to hold a senior management position.
- Mission specialist on two Space Shuttle missions. His first spaceflight, in 1998 was a 16-day mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia dedicated to neuroscience research.
- His second flight, in August 2007, was flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station. During that mission he performed three spacewalks, setting a Canadian record for total number of spacewalks. These spacewalks combined for a total duration of 17 hours and 47 minutes outside the spacecraft.
- Williams was also the first non-American to hold a senior management position within NASA, when he held the position of Director of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate at the Johnson Space Center and Deputy Associate Administrator of the Office of Spaceflight at NASA Headquarters.
- Dave is the bestselling author of several books, including a memoir, Defying Limits: Lessons from the Edge of the Universe, Leadership Moments from NASA: Achieving the Impossible. A series of children’s books. Most recently, he launched a book called Why Am I Taller in Space – What Happens to the Human Body in Space.
- He is a member of the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame and is the recipient of six honorary degrees, the Order of Canada, and the Order of Ontario.
- With a passion for leadership, healthcare, and risk management, prior to entering the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut program, Dr. Dave Williams worked as an emergency physician and later as director of emergency services at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.
Looking forward to an incredible afternoon with Dr. Dave Williams when he can share some otherworldly experiences from above our planet Earth!
We will makes sure there is lots of time for Q&A as well.
I hope you can join us.
Warm regards,
Rick Shaver
TCC Canada Chapter Coordinator
