Growing up on a cattle farm in eastern Alberta, Joshua Kutryk says he dreamt of going to space though he never thought it would happen.<\/p>\n
But a few months after Artemis II\u2019s lunar flyby, the 44-year-old is preparing for a mission to the International Space Station that could lead to medical breakthroughs.<\/p>\n
Kutryk is one of four members assigned to NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew 13 mission.<\/p>\n
He will join NASA\u2019s Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. Watkins will be returning to the space station for the second time.<\/p>\n
The crew will spend six months at the station to conduct experiments and maintenance work.<\/p>\n
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the crew is expected to take off from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, on Sept. 12.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something really unique and really special about being involved as a Canadian,\u201d said Kutryk. \u201cThere is something very special about Canada\u2019s space program and how much we do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mission includes Canadian-led studies on how space travel and microgravity can affect human health.<\/p>\n
According to Kutryk, much of the Canadian-sponsored science could have practical applications for future space exploration. But he added some of those studies will be able to advance medicine on Earth.<\/p>\n
The experiments could help develop treatments for heart disease or osteoporosis as radiation and microgravity affect cardiovascular health and bone density, he explained.<\/p>\n
It can be efficient to conduct medical studies in space since the body ages faster in that environment, he added, during a press briefing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re using the space environment and my body as the sample case to study problems that all humans eventually encounter here on Earth,\u201d Kutryk said.<\/p>\n
Mathieu Caron, director of the astronauts\u2019 office at the Canadian Space Agency, says space life sciences \u201chas become a niche for Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crew will also conduct maintenance work on the station, including the Canadian-made servicing system, nicknamed Canadarm 2. Kutryk will bring his expertise in robotics on board, said Caron.<\/p>\n
Kutryk is the fourth Canadian to take part in a long-duration mission to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n