Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!looking!clarinews From: clarinews@clarinet.com (Power/Campbell/Standard Broadcast News, Ottawa) Newsgroups: clari.canada.general Subject: OttawaSpecial: (OTTAWA) Two weeks ago Roberta Bondar was chosen to Keywords: canadian broadcast Message-ID: <1Rottawaspecial_a9@clarinet.com> Date: 2 Feb 90 11:08:53 GMT Lines: 49 Approved: clarinews@clarinet.com Location: canada ACategory: feature Slugword: ottawaspecial Priority: regular Format: feature X-Supersedes: ANPA: Wc: 564; Id: z0975; Sel: cnn..; Adate: ottawaspecial-600aes Codes: jn..fcng Note: OttawaSpecial:600aes (Stations, here is the Ottawa Special for Friday, February 2nd, 1990. It's about the first Canadian woman to be chosen to go into space, Roberta Bondary.) (OTTAWA) Two weeks ago Roberta Bondar was chosen to become the next Canadian to go into space. She'll be the first woman to do so from Canada. Bondar says she screamed into the telephone and deafened the man who told her because she says ``I was just so thrilled and so happy.'' Bondar says ``when I was eight or nine years of age, I had plastic models that I put together .... I was always interested in the stars.'' A trip to the stars. A dream come true. On December 6th Roberta Bondar is scheduled to fly into space with six other astronauts aboard the U-S space shuttle Columbia. The 44 year-old from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario with four university degrees under her belt won the seat after a year long contest against her friendly competitor, Ken Money. Bondar says this was a contest between two well-qualified people ... not between a man and a woman. But reflecting on the shootings of 14 female engineering students in Montreal, she hopes her example encourages young women to keep pursuing their dreams. Bondar says ``there are a lot of times when women don't get the regonition because of certain other factors. But in this instance it was the best person and it happened to be a woman.'' Bondar says for the 1990's this should be a good message for all Canadians. We have a report from the flight dynamics officer that the vehicle has exploded, flight director confirms that.'' Roberta Bondar was a member of the Canadian Astronaut Program when the Challenger blew up after take off from Cape Canavral in 1986. She says ``Ken had his little portable radio on and, of course, he gave us the news as soon as we walked in the door, and it was just devastating.'' She says they had to really re-adjust their goals. Doctor Bondar suggests that the accident made everyone a little more realistic about the dangers. But she says going into space is so overwhelming it's too good to pass up. Bondar says ``once I have my partial pressure suit on and I'm walking on the gantry to climb aboard the orbiter, I think of that whole scene ... the solid rockets the external tank, the orbiter, the height above the land itself. But along with all the excitement there are some un-pleasant aspects to space travel. Marc Garneau has warned Roberta Bondar about the down-side of spending a week in a small tube with six other people. She says ``Marc I think used the expression, it was sort of like working with a group of people in an outhouse. You get used to the smells and everything inside and people can't have showers and they look different .... they have puffy faces.'' Roberta Bondar would probably love it if her predecessor could come along for the ride. As a matter of fact she says she'd like to have lots of company. Bondar says ``I would like to take the rest of Canada with me, along on this voyage.''