David Saint-Jacques

Astronaut career The NEEMO 15 crew. Left to right: Takuya Onishi, Shannon Walker, Saint-Jacques, Steve Squyres, and Aquarius habitat technicians Nate Bender and James Talacek Saint-Jacques was selected in May 2009 by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) as one of two CSA astronaut positions, after a long process selection attended by 5,351 candidates, and moved to Houston to be one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. He then graduated from Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, extravehicular activity (EVA), robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training, Russian language and water and wilderness survival training. Since graduation, he has been assigned to the Robotics Branch of the Astronaut Office. Delayed by stormy weather and high seas, the mission began on 20 October 2011. On the afternoon of 21 October, Saint-Jacques and his crewmates officially became aquanauts, having spent over 24 hours underwater. NEEMO 15 ended early on 26 October due to the approach of Hurricane Rina. training in Sardinia, alongside Soichi Noguchi, Andreas Mogensen, Nikolai Tikhonov, Andrew Feustel and Michael Fincke.

Expeditions 57/58/59 Saint-Jacques completes the Bone Densitometer calibration in support of the Rodent Research-8 investigation during Expedition 57 at the Destiny lab.

In May 2016 Saint-Jacques was selected as a member of ISS Expedition 58/59, which at the time was scheduled to start in November 2018.

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. He became a member of the Expedition 57 crew for two weeks before transferring to Expedition 58, which officially started on 20 December 2018 when the Expedition 57 crew left the station. Saint-Jacques, Kononenko and McClain subsequently transferred to Expedition 59 on 14 March 2019 with the arrival of Soyuz MS-12.

On 8 April 2019, Saint-Jacques conducted his first spacewalk, becoming the fourth Canadian astronaut to take part in an and the first to do so in 12 years. The spacewalk lasted roughly seven hours.

Saint-Jacques, McClain and Kononenko returned to Earth on board Soyuz MS-11 on 24 June 2019.

Education and earlier career Saint-Jacques holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Physics from Polytechnique Montréal, an engineering school affiliated with Université de Montréal, where he graduated in 1993. from the Cavendish Astrophysics Group at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Saint-Jacques completed postdoctoral research at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan between 1999 and 2001, where he worked on the development and application of the Mitaka Infrared Interferometer in Japan and the Subaru Telescope Adaptive Optics System in Hawaii. He also holds a Doctor of Medicine from Université Laval completed in 2005 and completed a family medicine residency at McGill University (2007) (specializing in first-line, isolated medical practice).

Prior to joining the Canadian Space Agency, Saint-Jacques was a physician and the co-chief of Medicine at Inuulitsivik Health Centre in Puvirnituq, Quebec, from 2007. He also worked as a Clinical Faculty lecturer for McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, supervising medical trainees in Nunavik. Saint-Jacques is married to Dr. Véronique Morin and has three children. He is a lifelong mountaineer, hiker, cyclist, skier and sailor.

Academic distinctions "1967" Science and Engineering Scholarship, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) (1994–1998) Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Honorary Scholar (1994–1998) United Kingdom Overseas Research Student Award (1994–1998) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Japan Society for Promotion of Science (1999–2001) Scholarship, Canada Millennium (2001–2005) Doctorat Honoris Causa, École polytechnique de Montréal of Université de Montréal (2010) Officier of the National Order of Quebec (2020) Officer of the Order of Canada (2022)