Julie Payette doesnB次元官网网址檛 expect future generations to remember individual astronauts who assembled the International Space Station.

But the 48-year-old Canadian astronaut, who logged 611 hours in space contributing to the mission, believes the engineering feat will go down in the history books.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 extremely humbling at times and itB次元官网网址檚 an extraordinary opportunity to contribute very slightly to a fantastic endeavour,B次元官网网址� said Payette, the Canadian Space AgencyB次元官网网址檚 former chief astronaut.

B次元官网网址�(ItB次元官网网址檚) one of the most important things that human beings have done ... to construct in one of the harshest environments possible, outer space, for the sole purpose of advancing knowledge in a completely peaceful manner.B次元官网网址�

Payette, an electrical engineer and native of Montreal, was the first Canadian to board the International Space Station in 1999 during NASAB次元官网网址檚 second flight to the station on the spacecraft Discovery.

After seven years as the CSAB次元官网网址檚 top astronaut and a decade after her first flight, Payette boarded the space shuttle Endeavour on its 29th mission to the space station. On that flight, Payette served as the flight engineer, the most senior position a non-American can obtain on a space shuttle.

She was one of two Canadians and the only woman aboard.

B次元官网网址淎fter a while, characteristics like nationality, mother tongue or gender become very secondary,B次元官网网址� Payette said in an interview from Washington D.C.

B次元官网网址淥ther people expect you to do your job. If you do it well and with competence and youB次元官网网址檙e reliable, those little differences are secondary.B次元官网网址�

While the shuttle was docked to the ISS, Payette operated three robotic arms, alongside a record 12 other astronauts from five different nations.

B次元官网网址淧eople work as a team,B次元官网网址� she added. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the beauty of it. They do not stop at these kinds of details. If we brought back some of those lessons to Earth a little bit more, it could be useful.B次元官网网址�

Despite her commitment to education and physical determination, Payette sees experiencing life inside a spacecraft not  so much as a personal accomplishment but more a professional duty she has been hired and trained to execute.

But she also admits itB次元官网网址檚 the best job in the world.

B次元官网网址淭o ride a rocket is an amazing ride. To go around the Earth at 28,000 kilometres an hour, circling once every hour and a half B次元官网网址� to see how beautiful our planet is, is a huge privilege.  Then thereB次元官网网址檚 weightlessness. ItB次元官网网址檚 actually quite comfortable and a lot of fun to float.B次元官网网址�

In those moments of relaxation, Payette added to the experience by packing music from a range of Canadian artists B次元官网网址� from Celine Dion on her first flight, to B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Theory of Deadman on her second B次元官网网址� as a to tribute to the people she represents.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very peaceful to float to a window and see the Earth passing by below. B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 the only place we have right now. More than seven billion of us share this one planet and at this moment thereB次元官网网址檚 nowhere else we can go.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 our common spaceship. Astronauts are trying to take meticulous care of their spaceship because it is what keeps them alive in the harshness of space. Well so is Earth, for all of us.B次元官网网址�

Payette will share experiences from her space flights during The Earth from Above: An AstronautB次元官网网址檚 Perspective at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 27 in the University of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Farquhar Auditorium.

All seats to the free lecture are currently reserved, though more may be released through the box office at 250-721-8480.

nnorth@saanichnews.com