On October 4th 1957 the science of astronautics was thrust into the limelight when the first artificial satellite went into orbit around the Earth. Politicians around the world scrambled to catch up and understand the significance of this enormous achievement. At that time most of Canada's top engineers were employed by such stalwart companies as De Havilland, Canadair and A.V. Roe Aircraft. However, the flight of Sputnik opened up a frontier which required a new breed of visionary missile-men. Men such as Phil Lapp. Working from within De Havilland's newly formed missile division, Lapp immediately recognised the new world that was opening up in Sputnik's wake. Within a few weeks of that momentous event he organised a meeting of his fellow engineers to inaugurate a "Canadian Astronautical Society" at the De Havilland factory in Downsview Ontario. This meeting heralded the birth of Canada's space program.

This book takes the reader on a journey from Dr Lapp's humble beginnings in Toronto to the end of his life when he earned Canada's highest civilian award, the Order of Canada. Related in his own words he explains what led to Canada becoming one of the most respected forces in the world of astronautics. From the Avro Arrow, the Alouette Satellite, the birth of Direct- TV, to the Canadarm and Radarsat, Phil Lapp's story is an extraordinary tale of a unique man working in a historic time, meticulously related from his own uniquely Canadian perspective.

Comes with a DVD of the one hour documentary "Space Pioneers" by award winning film maker Rudy Buttignol.

The Father of Canadian Astronautics

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Comes with bonus film, Space Pioneers

ISBN 978-1926837-37-6

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Dr. Philip Lapp Phil Lapp was the founder of the Canadian Astronautical Society in 1957. He was co-founder of SPAR Aerospace, co-author of the Chapman Report, one of the top engineers on the Alouette satellite and the Avro Arrow's weapons systems, one of the principals behind both the Canadarm and Radarsat and a winner of both the Order of Canada and the Queen Elizabeth Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals. His "Canadian Astronautical Society" became the "S" in the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute of which he was an early president. He passed away in 2013.