A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A captivating and inspiring memoir by Canada's first man in space.

On October 5th, 1984, Marc Garneau made history. Blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle, he became the first Canadian to fly to outer space. That monumental achievement, now etched in history as one of our country’s proudest moments, inspired a nation and ushered in a new era ofspace exploration for Canada. Twenty-four years later, Garneau made history yet again, becoming the first astronaut to be elected as a Member of Parliament.
    Between those two milestones in Garneau’s unprecedented career, he was the first non-American to serve as CAPCOM, the voice of Mission Control for the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle. Garneau would also become the first Canadian to log three trips into orbit, and would lead the Canadian Space Agency through its most dynamic years.
    In the House of Commons, Garneau served as Minister of Transport and Minister of Foreign Affairs, during some of the biggest events of the past decade: the onset of one of the worst pandemics in modern times; the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban; and the death of eighty-five Canadian citizens and permanent residents aboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, shot down by Iran.
   When Marc Garneau announced his retirement after fourteen years in government, many Canadianslamented the loss of an upstanding parliamentarian who was not afraid to speak up for causes he believed in, even if that meant bucking his own party.
    In A Most Extraordinary Ride, Garneau chronicles his once-improbable ascent from mischievous teenager and rebellious naval midshipman to decorated astronaut and statesman representing Canada on the worldstage—both on and off the planet. With great candour Garneau describes the highs and lows of his life and career, including the awe he experienced upon first seeing Earth from space, the tragic loss of his first wife to mental illness and suicide, sailing across the Atlanticand back in a sailboat called The Pickle, and witnessing the tragedy of the doomed shuttle Challenger.
    Honest and illuminating, A Most Extraordinary Ride is a rare journey into the early years of Canada’s space program and an inside account of the joys and challenges of governing, from one of the country's most distinguished citizens.

MARC GARNEAU distinguished himself in three distinct fields. As a naval officer with the Canadian Armed Forces, he spent ten years as a combat systems engineer. In 1984, Garneau became the first Canadian astronaut to go to space and, from 2001 to 2005, was president of the Canadian Space Agency. As a federal politician, he served as Liberal House leader, Minister of Transport, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Marc Garneau died in June 2025, and is survived by his wife and four children.