Retired astronaut, Canadian Space Agency
Dr. Robert Thirsk has academic backgrounds in mechanical engineering, medicine and business administration. He has flown on two space missions as a member of the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut corps. Bob first flew aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 1996 as part of the Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission. His second flight in 2009 was a six-month expedition aboard the International Space Station. Bob and his crewmates performed multidisciplinary research, robotic operations and maintenance of Station systems and payloads. Bob continues to be a strong promoter of an economy based upon exploration, innovation and lifelong learning.