Canada has a long history of participation in space exploration dating back to 1839 with the establishment of the first magnetic observatory. Some key contributions include Marc Garneau being the first Canadian in space in 1984, Roberta Bondar being the first Canadian woman in space, and Chris Hadfield performing two spacewalks making him the first Canadian to float freely in space. Canada enjoys its role as a leader in space robotics and satellite communications due to inventions like the Canadarm robotic arm and scientific contributions in areas like life support systems and radiation dosimetry.