Robert (Bob) Thirsk (born August 17, 1953) is a Canadian astronaut. bob thirsk, canadian astronaut, public domain from nasa File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit (MMU) outside the Challenger in 1984. ...

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 flying, hockey, squash, and playing the piano. Member of Parliament Peter Julian (NDP) Paul Forseth (Conservative) Member of the Legislative Assembly Chuck Puchmayr (NDP) Mayor Wayne Wright Councillors Jonathan Cote Calvin Donnelly Bill Harper Betty McIntosh Bob Osterman Lorrie Williams Population (2001) 54,656 Immigrant Population 15,025 (28%) Languages English(Official) 78% French(Official) 1% Non... This article needs cleanup. ... ... Ice hockey, known simply as hockey in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. ... Squash racquet and ball Squash is an indoor racquet sport which was, until recently, called Squash Rackets, a reference to the squashable soft ball used in the game (compared with the harder ball used in its parent game Racquets or Rackets--see below). ... A grand piano A piano is a keyboard instrument, widely used in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment, and also as a convenient aid to composing and rehearsal. ...

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 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. Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages English Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 36 6 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 5th 944,735 km² 2. ... Motto: Fortis et Liber (Strong and free) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong Premier Ralph Klein (PC) Area 661,848 km² (6th) • Land 642,317 km² • Water 19,531 km² (2. ... Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free) Official languages English Capital Winnipeg Largest city Winnipeg Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard Premier Gary Doer (NDP) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 14 6 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 8th 647,797 km² 14. ... A Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine Mechanical engineering is a very broad field of engineering that involves the application of physical principles for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. ... The University of Calgary is a university of approximately 23,500 full time and 4,500 part time students, totalling almost 28,000 students, located in the north-western part of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (pop. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine Mechanical engineering is a very broad field of engineering that involves the application of physical principles for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a university located in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is one of the worlds leading research institutions in science and technology, as well as in numerous other fields, including management, economics, linguistics, political science, and philosophy. ... McGill University (Université McGill), is a publicly funded, research-intensive, non-denominational, co-educational university located in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... The MIT Sloan School of Management is one of the five schools of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT Sloan is one of the worlds leading business schools, conducting research and teaching in finance, entrepreneurship, marketing, strategic management, economics, organizational behavior, operations management, supply...

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. International Space University was founded in 1987 by Peter Diamandis, Todd B. Hawley, and Robert D. Richards. ...

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. Columbia University Medical Center is name of the medical complex associated with Columbia University located in Washington Heights area of Manhattan. ...

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. Queen Elizabeth Hospital can refer to one of several hospitals named after Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide , Australia Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, Midlands, England Queen Elizabath Hospital, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown, Barbados Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong Queen Elizabeth Hospital... Marc Garneau Captain(N) Dr. Marc Garneau CC, CD, Ph. ... STS 41-G marked the thirteenth flight of a Space Shuttle and the sixth flight of the Challenger. ... The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling tanker aircraft, first manufactured in 1956 and expected to remain in service into the 2020s. ... ISS Statistics Crew: 2 As of August 21, 2005 Perigee: 352. ... The Canadian Space Agency (CSA or, in French, lAgence spatiale canadienne, ASC) is the Canadian government department space agency responsible for Canadas space program. ... The circulatory system or cardiovascular system is the organ system which circulates blood around the body of most animals. ...

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. The arms of Victoria. ... Russian (Russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, ▶ (help· info)) is the most widely spoken language of Europe and the most widespread of the Slavic languages. ...

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. STS-78 is a Space Shuttle program mission. ... Spacelab in payload bay during STS-90 Spacelab is a microgravity laboratory flown into space on the Space Shuttle. ... Space Shuttle Columbia (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first space shuttle in NASAs orbital fleet. ... The Materials Science Tetrahedron, which often also includes Characterization at the center Materials science is the multidisciplinary field relating the performance and function of matter in any and all applications to its micro, nano, and atomic-structure, and vice versa. ... Divisions Green algae land plants (embryophytes) non-vascular embryophytes Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses vascular plants (tracheophytes) seedless vascular plants Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongue ferns seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anenomes) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Fluid dynamics is the subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that studies fluids (liquids and gases) in motion. ... Astronauts on the International Space Station display an example of weightlessness Weightlessness is the experience (by people and objects) during freefall, of having no weight. ...

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 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. An aerial view of the complete Johnson Space Center facility in Houston, Texas in 1989. ... During much of the U.S. manned space program, NASA felt it was important for all communication with the astronauts in space to pass through a single individual in the Mission Control Center. ...

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. The Calgary Sun is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ...

External links

• Canadian Space Agency Official Biography
• Biography at NASA
• Spacefacts biography of Robert Thirsk