Roberta Bondar’s 30 Years Since Space
Sault Ste. Marie Public Library Archives
On January 22, 1992, Roberta Bondar lifted off from the launchpad and ascended into space, becoming the first Canadian woman and neurologist to do so. 30 years later, she celebrated the anniversary of her space flight and how it influenced her life.
Roberta Bondar grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where she built model rockets and dreamt of being a spaceman. “When I was eight years old, to be a spaceman was the most exciting thing I could imagine,” reads a quote from her website. She was very interested in sciences from a young age and went on to earn multiple doctorates and master’s degrees in the field.
Bondar holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Zoology and Agriculture from the University of Guelph. She also holds a Master of Science in Experimental Pathology from Western University and an MD from McMaster University. She also has a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the University of Toronto.
In 1984, Bondar was the only woman in the first Canadian Space Agency (‘CSA’) astronaut campaign. Eight years later, Bondar got her spaceflight on the Space Shuttle Discovery, mission STS-42, which lasted just over eight days. Her crew included five Americans and one German, under the command of US astronaut Ronald J. Grabe. As the seven walked out to the launchpad, Eve Savory, who was covering the story for CBC, waved a Girl Guides flag. Bondar cheered, lifting both hands in the air in an iconic moment captured on camera.
Bondar conducted 40 advanced experiments for 14 different countries during her time in space, mostly about space’s impact on the human body.
This mission was affected by the Challenger disaster in 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch. It was a devastating event that put the space shuttle program on pause for two years.
The crew returned safely on January 30, 1992, after gaining much insight into space-focused science. That September, Bondar left the CSA as she was not going to be reassigned to a spaceflight.
For the 20 years after her trip to space, Bondar studied how the brain adapts to unfamiliar environments. She earned achievements for her research in space medicine, including the F.W. (Casey) Baldwin Award from the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, and 28 honorary doctorates from North American Universities.
For over ten years, she led an international space medicine research team for NASA. They found new connections between astronauts recovering from microgravity and discovered more about neurological illnesses on Earth, such as strokes and Parkinson’s disease.
Bondar also has travelled the world as a photographer and author. She is an honours student in Professional Nature Photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography. Bondar aims to encourage people to protect the planet by showing them the natural beauty that people must preserve. Bondar published four photography books.
Bondar was enthralled by the view of the planet from space. Bondar nearly missed this view since she was working so hard. “The highlight was seeing Earth,” said Bondar. “It was a unique moment that not only changed the way I understand our planet, but it also helped frame how I view Earth and approach life on it. The experience encouraged me to embrace conservation of our natural world and work to protect our home,” Bondar shared in an interview with CTV.
Roberta continues to reflect on the time she spent as a nature photographer, and the programs she created to benefit the Earth. Bondar used her experience as a photographer and astronaut to launch Avian Migration Aerial Surface Space (‘AMASS’). This project observes birds’ migratory patterns and other changes from both space and Earth. In 2018, photos from the International Space Station helped to finish Bondar’s AMASS program’s project.