TORONTO, April 22, 1998 -- The Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology (CRESTech) and York University will host the Neurolab shuttle mission's first satellite transmission to Canada on April 25th, 1998.

Orbiting crew members from the Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-90, including Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Dr. Dave Williams, will be connected live via Houston mission control to university and high school students at York University.

During the telephone-style exchange, students from the York University chapter of Students for Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) will pose questions to the astronauts ranging from how men and women differ in their automatic nervous system responses to the impact of muscle tone loss due to micro gravity.

The official program will begin at 3:45 p.m. at Curtis Lecture Hall "L", Vari Hall, York University. The 10 minute satellite downlink will begin at 4:49 p.m. No one will be admitted to the lecture hall after 4:15 p.m.

Program participants will be joined by members of the space science community who will outline Canada's involvement in this historic shuttle mission. On hand will be CRESTech President Dr. Ian Rowe, York University's Dean of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science, Dr. Bob Prince, SEDS President Stephen Hoffman and Dr. Norbert Bartel, SEDS Faculty Supervisor.

Researchers from York University and CRESTech are participating in two of the 26 international science experiments selected for this shuttle mission dedicated to research into the human nervous system.

The Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology (CRESTech) conducts multidisciplinary collaborative research and development in earth and space sciences. A consortium of university-based researchers, industry leaders and government, CRESTech is committed to bridging the gap between pure science and the successful application of science and technology in profitable new business.

For more information, please contact:

Andre Bellefeuille
CRESTech
Manager, Communications
(416) 665-5464

Sine MacKinnon
York University
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087