Robert “Bob” Thirsk made history as the first Canadian to complete a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Selected for the Canadian Astronaut Program in 1983, Bob Thirsk’s first flight was on NASA’s space shuttle Columbia (STS-78) in 1996 as payload specialist. During the 17-day flight, he and his crew conducted 43 experiments on life and materials sciences in microgravity.

In 2009, Bob became the first Canadian astronaut to complete a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), spending 188 days performing groundbreaking research, maintenance, and robotic operations as part of Expedition 20/21.

After retiring as an astronaut in 2012, Bob served as Chancellor of the University of Calgary and has continued contributing to space exploration as chair of the Advisory Council on Deep Space Healthcare. He now directs several social purpose organizations and works to promote space-related education in Canada.