Canada In Space
Canada has a rich history in space exploration. From 1839 when Sir Edward Sabine established the first magnetic observatory at the University of Toronto to study the northern lights; to producing the landing gear used on the Eagle for the first landing on the moon in 1969; to the development of the Canadarm which was used on the Space Shuttle orbiters to deploy, manoeuvre and capture payloads; and, in looking forward to a Canadian rover landing on the moon within the next five years.
Robert Thirsk
Robert Thirsk was born in 1953 in New Westminster, British Columbia
He was selected to join the Canadian astronaut program in 1983 and served as backup payload specialist to Marc Garneau for space shuttle mission STS-41 G. His team designed and tested an experimental “anti-gravity suit” that may help astronauts withstand the effects of extended spaceflight on the cardiovascular system.
In 1996, Thirsk flew aboard space shuttle mission STS-78 as a payload specialist. While on this mission, he wrote two columns for the Calgary Sun newspaper, which was the first occasion in which an astronaut wrote and filed a story to a newspaper—and had it published—while the astronaut was still in orbit.
While in orbit in 2009, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary. A fellow crewmember place the convocation cape on Thirsk, which was later removed due to it constantly floating up to his face. This event made Thirsk the first person ever to receive a university degree from space.
In 2012, Thirsk resigned from the Canadian Space Agency and went to work at the Canadian Institute of Health Research and later served as chancellor of the University of Calgary.