Far Out: Deep Space Science Exploration
Far
Out
The Deep Space Puzzle
From Sputnik's first beep to the Artemis generation — 70 years of human space exploration crammed into one ~50-piece wooden puzzle. Spot Canada's contributions along the way.
The Puzzle
70 Years of Human
Spaceflight, Assembled
Far Out captures the full arc of the Space Age — from the moment Sputnik beeped its way into orbit in 1957 to the Artemis missions returning humans to the Moon (and back).
Canada's role runs throughout: the Avro Arrow's aeronautical heritage fed directly into the NASA pipeline, and the Canadarm family has been the backbone of human spaceflight infrastructure for over 40 years.
🍁 Canadian Connection
Canada punches above its weight in space
The Canadarm has been on every Space Shuttle mission and is the reason the ISS can be assembled and maintained. Canadarm3 will operate autonomously on the Lunar Gateway.
And when the Arrow program was cancelled in 1959, several engineers went directly to work at NASA — their expertise helping land humans on the Moon ten years later.
14 Spacecraft & Missions
What's in the Puzzle
The Arc of Space Exploration
Three Chapters of the Space Age
Every piece in Far Out belongs to one of three chapters in the story of human spaceflight — from the first daring pioneers to the missions being planned right now.
The Pioneers
The era when "going to space" went from science fiction to front-page news. Two superpowers competed to be first — first satellite, first human, first Moon landing. The missions were small and the computers were weaker than your calculator, but the courage was extraordinary.
Voyager 1, launched in 1977, is still operating and communicating with Earth — making it the longest-running spacecraft in history.
Building a Presence
The era of reusable rockets, permanent space stations, and humanity's first eyes on the deep universe. The Space Shuttle made orbit routine; the ISS made it permanent; Hubble and James Webb gave us eyes that can see the beginning of time. Canada built the arms that hold it all together.
The ISS has now been continuously inhabited for over 25 years — longer than many of the people reading this page have been alive.
Back to the Moon
— and Beyond
The era we are living in right now. Artemis is returning humans to the Moon with a new goal: to stay. The Lunar Gateway will be humanity's first outpost beyond low Earth orbit. And on the horizon — Mars. The Artemis generation is the first to grow up knowing that humans will walk on another planet in their lifetime.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen joined the international crew on Artemis II — the first Canadian to leave low Earth orbit.
Mind-Blowing Numbers
Did You Know...?
Voyager's Golden Record
Voyager 1 carries a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing 115 images of Earth, greetings in 55 languages, and 90 minutes of music ranging from Bach to Chuck Berry. It was intended as a message in a bottle to any civilization that might find it, billions of years from now, drifting in interstellar space.
James Webb Sees the Past
Light from distant galaxies takes billions of years to reach us. When James Webb photographs a galaxy 13 billion light-years away, it's seeing that galaxy as it was 13 billion years ago — just after the universe began. The telescope is effectively a time machine pointed at the Big Bang.
🍁 Made in Canada
Canada's Fingerprints
Are All Over Space
Three of the most important contributions to human spaceflight have Canadian origins. Far Out celebrates each one.
A fighter jet so advanced it outperformed everything in the world. When it was cancelled and destroyed, many of its engineers crossed the border to help NASA build the rockets and capsules that took humans to the Moon. Canada gave space exploration some of its best minds, even if it didn't mean to.
Canadarm flew on the Space Shuttle from 1981 to 2011. Canadarm2 has maintained the ISS since 2001. Canadarm3 will be the world's first fully autonomous space robotic arm, operating on the Lunar Gateway without needing a human operator to guide it in real time.
CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen from London, Ontario will fly on Artemis II — the first Canadian to leave low Earth orbit. His visor will reflect the Earth on the journey around the Moon, with North America — and Alberta — visible in the reflection. The Artemis generation belongs to Canada too.
Keep Exploring
Want to Go Deeper?
Canadian Space Agency
The CSA's website has deep resources on Canadarm, Jeremy Hansen's Artemis mission, and Canada's role in the Lunar Gateway — perfect for a school project.
NASA's Eyes on the Solar System
A free app where you can track the real-time position of Voyager 1, the ISS, and current missions across the solar system. Watch Voyager leave the solar system in real time.
James Webb Image Gallery
NASA's Webb gallery hosts the full-resolution versions of the telescope's images. Download the Carina Nebula or Pillars of Creation and see details invisible to Hubble.
The Avro Arrow Story
The National Film Board's documentary on the Arrow is a Canadian classic — and a cautionary tale about what happens when politics overrules engineering. A great starting point for older learners.
Spark's Space Exhibits
Visit Telus Spark to see Rosie — a miniature Canadarm interactive — and the Birdly VR experience. Spot the connections between the real missions and the puzzle you just assembled.
What is Tessellation?
The art and math behind how these spacecraft shapes lock together perfectly. From Escher's impossible drawings to honeycomb engineering — it's the same elegant principle.
Available Now
Houston, the Puzzle
Is Assembled
Far Out is a Spark × StumpCraft wooden puzzle designed to spark curiosity about space exploration and Canada's remarkable role in it.