A HUGE thank you to Astronaut David Saint-Jacques for taking time out of his busy schedule aboard the International Space Station to film an ‘out of this world’ introduction to the World Extreme Medicine ‘Thriving in Adversity’ Conference 2019!

Dr. David Saint-Jacques space career began in May 2009 when he was selected by the Canadian Space Agency as one of two astronauts following a long selection process attended by 5,351 candidates!

Jacques spent two weeks as an Aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 15 mission in October 2011. In May 2016, he was selected as a member of ISS Expedition 58/59. On 3 December 2018, Saint-Jacques launched to the ISS on board Soyuz MS-11, alongside commander Oleg Kononenko and fellow flight engineer Anne McClain. On April 8, 2019, Saint-Jacques conducted his first spacewalk, becoming the fourth Canadian astronaut to take part in an EVA and the first to do so in 12 years. Saint-Jacques, McClain and Kononenko returned to earth onboard Soyuz MS-11 on June 24, 2019.

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The International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit, operating 220 nautical miles above the Earth. It is a construction project that stretches across nations and is the largest single structure humans ever put into space, with the first component launched into orbit in 1998 and the last pressurised module fitted in 2011. The station has been continuously occupied since November 2000.

The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and other fields. The station is suited for the testing of spacecraft systems and equipment required for missions to the Moon and Mars.

The ISS maintains an orbit with an altitude of between 330 and 435 km (205 and 270 mi) taking 90 minutes to circle the Earth and completing 15.54 orbits per day.

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The World Extreme Medicine Conference

Now in its 9th year, the World Extreme Medicine Conference is a platform for inspiring medical minds to meet, share experiences and promote cross-disciplinary working. We’re dedicated to sharing and spreading best practice for the world’s medical professionals, willing to risk themselves to help others.

The conference stimulates new thinking, extends professional relationships and shares new and more effective approaches to medical practice in challenging environments. Listen to conference founder Mark Hannaford’s podcast on why WEM does what it does…

Join us this year where for the first time in WEM history, we’re hosting #VirtualWEM20 a virtual conference on Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th October 2020 – so you can be inspired from the comfort of your sofa (or, frankly, from wherever in the world you can get online). Book your place today!