The Canadian Government and Bank of Canada have got together to honour the Canadian space program in a unique manner. The new five dollar bill will profile the workhorse of the International Space Station, Canadarm2 and Dexte which were developed by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associated Ltd.
The new polymer banknote was released by the Bank of Canada as it made known the designs of other yet to be issued $100 and $50 banknotes along with the themes for the remaining notes in the series.
Bank of Canada: The New $100 Note
Dr. Christian Sallaberger, vice-president of space exploration at MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. said that the Canadian expertise in space robotics is unsurpassed. He added that the team at MDA was pleased that their technology and engineering solutions have received the highest of honours, to be showcased on the back of the five-dollar bill.
The Canadarm was designed for the Canadian government to help the NASA space shuttle program. The Canadarm2 and Dexte were developed by the Government of Canada in partnership with the US, Russia and Japan along with the participating countries of the European Space Agency that constructed the International Space Station.
Canada also contributed the Mobile Servicing System on the International Space Station which was used to build and service the orbiting science laboratory. As payment for its contribution Canada got an unprecedented number of astronaut rides.