Alberta-raised astronaut Joshua Kutryk two weeks into six-month ISS mission
Kutryk, who grew up on an Alberta cattle farm, spoke to Canadian journalists from orbit about his role aboard the International Space Station as part of NASA Crew 13.
Why it matters
Kutryk, raised on an Alberta farm, is representing Canada on a major international science mission aboard the ISS.
Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, 44, took questions from journalists in Longueuil, Que. on Tuesday while floating aboard the International Space Station, two weeks into a six-month mission. Kutryk launched Oct. 1 as part of NASA Crew 13, reaching the station in under eight hours in what was described as the fastest flight ever to the ISS.
Kutryk, a former CF-18 fighter pilot who grew up on an Alberta cattle farm, serves as a mission specialist alongside NASA commander Jessica Watkins, NASA pilot Luke Delaney and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. He said the launch was exhilarating and that no training could fully prepare him for the experience, adding that basic tasks like eating, moving and sleeping had to be relearned in microgravity.
He brought a family pocket watch, carried from Ukraine to Canada four generations ago, which he keeps near where he sleeps aboard the station. Kutryk described seeing Earth from orbit as witnessing "one world" without visible borders or conflicts.
His work includes Canadian-led research on how space travel and microgravity affect human health, including the AstroFit project, which monitors astronaut health to help extend how long humans can live in space. Kutryk said his mission builds on a strong year for Canadian space exploration, following astronaut Jeremy Hansen's participation in April's Artemis II lunar fly-around.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.