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Robert Thirsk (born August 17, 1953) is a
Canada|Canadian astronaut.

He is from New Westminster, British Columbia and
is married to Brenda Biasutti of Montreal, Quebec.
They have three children. Bob enjoys spending time
with his family as well as aviation|flying, ice
hockey|hockey, squash (sport)|squash, and playing
the piano.

He attended primary and secondary schools in
British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba and
received a bachelor of science degree in
mechanical engineering from the University of
Calgary in 1976, a master of science degree in
mechanical engineering from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology|MIT in 1978, an M.D. from
McGill University in 1982, and his M.B.A. from the
MIT Sloan School of Management in 1998.

He is a member of the Professional Engineers of
Ontario, the Canadian College of Family
Physicians, the Canadian Aeronautics and Space
Institute, the Aerospace Medical Association, and
the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
and of British Columbia. He is also a director of
the Canadian Foundation for the International
Space University.

He won the Association of Professional Engineers,
Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta Gold Medal
in 1976 and was the first recipient of the
University of Calgary Distinguished Alumni Award
(1985). In 1997, he was awarded the Gold Medal of
the Professional Engineers of Ontario and was
awarded honorary membership in the College of
Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia.

Bob was in the family medicine residency program
at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Montreal when
he was selected in December 1983 to the Canadian
astronaut program. He began astronaut training in
February 1984 and served as backup payload
specialist to Marc Garneau for space shuttle
mission STS-41-G, which flew October 5 to 13,
1984.  Bob has participated in several parabolic
flight experiment campaigns on board NASA’s
KC-135 aircraft and has been involved in various
projects relating to space medicine, the
International Space Station, mission planning, and
education with the Canadian Space Agency. He led
an international research team investigating the
effect of weightlessness on the heart and blood
vessels. His team designed and tested an
experimental “anti-gravity suit” that may help
astronauts withstand the effects of extended
spaceflight on the cardiovascular system.

He served as Chief Astronaut of the Canadian Space
Agency in 1993 and 1994. In February 1994, he was
crew commander for the CAPSULS mission, a
simulated 7-day space mission that involved the
participation of several international
investigators and three other Canadian astronauts.
In 1994-95, Bob completed a sabbatical year in
Victoria, British Columbia. During this year, he
upgraded his skills in clinical practice, space
medicine research and Russian language training.

On June 20, 1996, Bob flew aboard space shuttle
mission STS-78 (the life and microgravity Spacelab
mission) as a payload specialist. During this
17-day flight aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia,
Bob and his six crew mates performed 43
experiments devoted to the study of life and
materials science. Most of these experiments were
conducted within the pressurized Spacelab
laboratory module situated in the orbiter’s
payload bay. The life science experiments
investigated changes in plants, animals and humans
under spaceflight conditions. The materials
science experiments examined protein
crystallization, fluid dynamics and
high-temperature solidification of multi-phase
materials in microgravity.

In August 1998, Bob was assigned by the Canadian
Space Agency to the Johnson Space Center to pursue
mission specialist training. This advanced
astronaut training program involves instruction on
both shuttle and space station systems. Within the
NASA Astronaut Office, Bob currently serves as a
Capsule communicator|CAPCOM (spacecraft
communicator) for the international space station
program. He also assists with operational issues
of the station’s Thermal Control System. In
Canada, Bob works with various organizations to
develop space-based teaching resources for
grade-school educators. 

== Trivia ==

During his 1996 mission, Thirsk wrote two columns
for the Calgary Sun newspaper. Although live
interviews with astronauts had been conducted
before while still in orbit, this was the first
occasion in which an astronaut had written and
filed a story to a newspaper -- and it was
published -- while the astronaut was still in
orbit.

== External links ==
*http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/csa_sectors/human_
pre/cao/biothirsk.asp Canadian Space Agency
Official Biography
*http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/thirsk.html
Biography at NASA