Ghost of a flea

Marc Garneau, Canada's first man in space two decades ago, said that Canadians could join the historic flights if the federal government makes a major financial commitment. "There's the tantalizing possibility that a Canadian man or woman could go to the moon as part of that effort sometime in the second part of the next decade and then on to other places," Garneau said in an interview.

But he warned that the federal government would have to contribute major sums of money for the dream to become a reality. "Over the next 20 years, it would be in the billions of dollars. There's no free ride."