How Robert Thirsk Fulfilled a Dream

SUMMER 2020 PRICE: $4.95 Unsung heroes of the public service are working long hours to issue COVID-relief cheques. PAGE 12 How to avoid the latest Internet and phone scams as fraudsters amp up their efforts. PAGE 16 A SPACE OF OUR OWN Astronaut Robert Thirsk wants Canada to share his dream of the universe. One of just 10 Canadians who've been to space, he shares his story and offers some first-hand tips on surviving COVID-19 isolation. PAGE 6 PM40065047 HOW ROBERT THIRSK FULFILLED A DREAMThe astronaut is one of just 10 Canadians who’ve been to space. MARK CARDWELL FEATURE As a young boy growing up in the early 1960s in Powell River, a piece of advice for young people? Get out British Columbia city that was then famous for having the largest of your comfort zone, “stretch yourself mentally, emotionally and even spiritually.” pulp and paper mill on the planet, Bob Thirsk says he never gave The 66-year-old also co-leads a research much thought to the limitless expanse of outer space far above team of International Space University the city’s smoke-grey skies, nor the fact that humans were alumni, whose members are investigating the beginning to journey there on space-age rockets. effects of space flight on neuroperception, and is a board member of Vancouver’s LIFT But that all changed the day his Grade 3 his insights on everything from the harsh Philanthropy Partners. teacher at Grief Point Elementary School realities of life in space and the challenges brought a radio into the classroom and let her of space travel to the conscious-altering students listen to a live broadcast of American impacts of being in space and the drive and LIFE’S EARLY LESSONS astronaut John Glenn as he circled the Earth determination required to make it there. Thirsk, the second in a family of three in the first manned orbital flight in February “I’ve been privileged to work with innovative children, began learning those life lessons at 1962. “It was the first time I remember organizations that are not risk-averse and an early age. Both of his parents — his father, hearing the word ‘space’ and learning that colleagues who inspired me to perform at the Lester, who worked for Marshall-Wells, a a career called ‘astronaut’ existed,” Thirsk highest levels imaginable,” Thirsk says. “My company that ran a chain of hardware stores, recalls. “For me, it was transformative.” goal now is to try and pass on the lessons and his mother, Eva, who was a secretary — A lifetime later, Thirsk looks back with I’ve learned in the hope they inspire others to encouraged their kids to participate in sports, gratitude on the actions of that teacher, dream big and to help them reach their goals.” work hard and be involved in activities at Shirley Cole. They launched him on a school and in the community. Thirsk, who lives in Ottawa, delivers a trajectory to membership in one of the most sobering yet optimistic message about the “I was always active, with little idle time,” exclusive clubs on Earth. As of June 2020, need for personal commitment and collective recalls Thirsk, who took up competitive the former Canadian astronaut is one of action to tackle the scientific conundrums hockey, swimming, squash and wrestling, the only 565 people on the planet, including facing human travel to Mars and beyond and latter a sport in which he became a provincial 10 Canadians, who have gone into space. to solve problems such as climate change champion. “I did well in all school subjects, And he’s done it twice, the second time that threaten life on Earth. but especially the sciences and math.” on a six-month mission to the International Space Station in 2009, becoming the first “I tell people to focus on their dreams, make Thirsk credits his late parents for instilling Canadian to do a long-duration space flight. sacrifices and get a strong educational in him the confidence and skills needed to foundation,” says Thirsk, who continues to succeed in life. A federal retiree since 2014, Thirsk now work with the Canadian Space Agency. He spends much of his time promoting space “Our father was a dreamer and a visionary served recently as chairman of an expert exploration and the democratization of space who always encouraged us to pursue group on the potential health-care and travel through technological innovation, higher our dreams,” Thirsk says. “Our mom biomedical roles Canada could play in the education and the pursuit of excellence by complemented him perfectly. She was human exploration of deep space. Another people in all areas of human endeavour. very pragmatic and well organized.” “We need to develop space like pioneers do After moving with his family to Calgary in any new frontier,” says Thirsk, who joined after Grade 4, Thirsk’s interest in space the National Association of Federal Retirees “It was the first time I piqued again in late December 1968 when in 2019. “We need to keep learning and he watched a broadcast of the Apollo 8 investing in things like non-chemical rockets remember hearing the mission — the first manned spacecraft to so we can bring down the cost and start word ‘space’ and learning leave Earth’s orbit and fly to the moon and flying thousands of people there every year.” back — at the Chinook Centre mall. that a career called Whether on his website, in blog postings “It was Christmas Eve and I went there or at speaking engagements such as the ‘astronaut’ existed… For to go shopping, but ended up in the TV 2017 TED talk he gave in Calgary titled, “How department of the Simpson Sears store all spaceflight changed my perspectives on our me, it was transformative.” night,” Thirsk recalls. “I knew right then I planet and humanity,” Thirsk is eager to share wanted to be an astronaut.” PHOTO Robert Thirsk first went to space in 1996. He initially studied medicine, but when he was a resident at a hospital in New Brunswick, he saw a newspaper ad calling for applications for a new astronaut program Canada was starting. He applied immediately. Photo: Rémi Thériault federalretirees.ca SAGE I 7 FEATURE That desire grew when Thirsk saw American Centre in Houston, Texas. Thirsk was THREE, TWO, ONE… BLAST-OFF astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin assigned as backup for Garneau, who walk on the moon. would be the payload specialist on a shuttle His chance finally came in 1996 when mission that October. Garneau became the he flew to space as a payload specialist “Though it was only American astronauts first Canadian to go into space. with six other crew members on Space and Soviet cosmonauts who flew in space Shuttle Mission STS-78, a 17-day mission then, I hoped that one day Canadians would “We did identical training; we always knew to conduct 43 life-science experiments. have the opportunity,” Thirsk says. that if I got sick Bob would go,” recalls Garneau, now Canada’s transport minister. Thirsk says he didn’t look out the window After moving again with his family to “For sure it was disappointing for him until 20 minutes after launch, when the Winnipeg when he was in high school, he when I went up and he stayed behind. I Shuttle Columbia launched skyward with returned to Alberta to do an undergraduate remember him telling me it was like going seven million pounds of thrust. degree in mechanical engineering at the to the cinema and watching a great movie University of Calgary. “I was too busy with my duties and that everyone is talking about, but having to supporting those of my colleagues,” he He followed that up with a master’s of leave just before the end. But what struck says. “But when I finally looked and saw the science from the Massachusetts Institute of me most was how gracious Bob was. He’s curvature of the Earth and the unique blue Technology (MIT) in 1978 and then a degree a very modest person who always thinks of the oceans, a chill went down my spine. in medicine from McGill University in 1982. about other people.” I remember thinking, ‘Bob, you’ve done it, “My engineering and medical education Garneau also credits Thirsk with helping you’ve fulfilled a dream. You’re the luckiest was a pathway to develop skills relevant him cope with the rigorous training regime. person off the planet!’” to a space program,” Thirsk says. “Skills “It was a very special link in our friendship.” It would be another 13 years before that could develop technical solutions For the next 13 years, Thirsk trained, Thirsk returned to space, this time to medical problems of spaceflight like notably serving as crew commander for launching from Kazakhstan in a Russian cardiovascular de-conditioning and two space-mission simulations. Soyuz spacecraft to spend six months musculoskeletal atrophy.” aboard the International Space Station During that time, he and Biasutti moved (ISS) with five international crewmates. TURNING POINTS to Houston’s astronaut-rich Clear Lake neighbourhood near the Johnson Space The 188-day mission involved During his medical studies, Thirsk met Brenda Center. They raised three children — Lisane, multidisciplinary research, complex Biasutti, a clerk in the orthopedics clinic at the Elliot and Aidan — and were actively robotic operations and maintenance Montreal General Hospital. The couple later involved in their activities, with Thirsk and repair work on the space station’s married in the chapel of McGill University. helping coach high school hockey.

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