Talk to Donna with Dave Williams, former Astronaut

Dave Williams was selected as an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency in 1992,

He was selected to join the international class of NASA mission specialist astronaut candidates. He participated in STS-­90 as Mission Specialist 3 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. From July 1998 until September 2002, he held the position of Director of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He concurrently held a position as the first deputy associated administrator for crew health and safety in the Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters. With this appointment, he became the first non-American to hold a senior management position within NASA.

His second spaceflight on STS-118 in 2007 was the 119th space shuttle flight, the 22nd flight to the station, and the 20th flight for Endeavour. Williams participated in three of a total of four spacewalks (EVAs) and was the lead spacewalker in two of the three spacewalks.

Dave is a veteran of two space flights and two underwater missions and he has logged over 600 hours living and working underwater as well as 687 hours in space including 3 spacewalks.  The total was 17 hours and 47 minutes, setting a new Canadian record.

Dave Williams retired from active astronaut status in March, 2008 to join the clinical staff at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton and the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University as a Professor of Surgery.

He is currently President and CEO at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario.

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