Roberta Bondar

Doctor and astronaut

• Born: December 4, 1945
• Place of Birth: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

Contribution: In January 1992, Roberta Bondar became both the first neurologist and Canadian female astronaut in space. A physician and scientist, Bondar was one of seven crewmembers aboard the space shuttle Discovery for its fourteenth flight. She has been recognized for her contributions in researching space medicine and is a successful motivational speaker.

Early Life & Education

Roberta Bondar was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, on December 4, 1945 to Edward and Mildred Bondar. As a child, Bondar was intrigued by science and conducted experiments in a laboratory her father built in the basement of the family’s home. While attending high school, a science project launched Bondar into a summer job studying the spruce budworm.

Bondar earned a bachelor of science degree in agriculture and zoology in from the University of Guelph in 1968. In 1971, she received a master’s degree in experimental pathology from the University of Western Ontario. Bondar earned her doctorate in neurobiology from the University of Toronto in 1974. In 1977, she earned a medical degree from McMaster University, with a special focus on space medicine. She became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) as a specialist in neurology in 1981.

Medical Career

Upon finishing an internship in internal medicine at Toronto General Hospital, Bondar completed her postgraduate medical training at the University of Western Ontario and the Playfair Neuroscience Unit at the Toronto Western Hospital. She also worked at the Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Pacific Vascular Institute in Seattle, Washington. From 1982 to 1984, Bondar served as an assistant professor of medicine in neurology at McMaster University. She later served on the scientific staff of Sunnybrook Medical Center in Toronto.

World’s First Neurologist/Astronaut

In 1983, Bondar was selected by America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to be one of the six members of the first Canadian astronaut program governed by the Canadian Space Agency. She began her training in February 1984. In early 1990, she was selected for the first mission of the International Microgravity Laboratory program. On January 22, 1992, Bondar ascended into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery, becoming only the second Canadian—and the first Canadian woman—in space. She also became the first neurologist to fly into space.

While in space, Bondar conducted numerous scientific experiments for fourteen nations, studying the effects of weightlessness on the human body and plant growth without gravity. One effect she noticed was that she did not need her glasses in space, probably because weightlessness affects the movement of fluids in the body. Had this not happened, she would have been severely hindered in performing her duties, because her glasses floated away and were lost early in the mission. Incorporating her love of photography into her time in space, she also took numerous photographs of Earth.

Later Career

On September 4, 1992, soon after completing the mission, Bondar left the Canadian Space Agency. For more than a decade, she headed a team of space medicine researchers at NASA, studying connections between neurological illnesses and recovering from floating in space. She also pursued interests in education, public speaking, and photography and published a number of books. These include Touching the Earth (1994) and the children's book, On the Shuttle: Eight Days in Space, in 1995. She co-wrote the latter with her sister, Barbara.

In 2003, Bondar was installed as the ninth chancellor of Ontario’s Trent University, a position she held until 2009. Bondar remains a highly respected speaker and consultant within the scientific and medical community. She founded a not-for-profit environmental protection art organization, the Roberta Bondar Foundation, in 2009.

Awards and Achievements

Bondar received many awards throughout her career, including the NASA Space Medal and over twenty honorary doctorates from universities in the United States and Canada. She was also inducted into both the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame and the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. In 2011, she was honored with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame at Toronto’s Elgin Theater. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of Ontario.

Bibliography

“About Roberta.” Roberta Bondar Foundation. Roberta Bondar Foundation, 2009. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.

“Biographical Data.” Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Jul. 1997. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.

Bonikowsky, Laura Neilson, and Emily Gwiazda. "Roberta Bondar." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 10 May 2024, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/roberta-bondar. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

“Dr. Roberta Bondar Appointed Chancellor of Trent University.” Trent University. Trent Communications, 21 Jan. 2003. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.

“Dr. Roberta Lynn Bondar Canada’s First Female Astronaut.” Sault History Online. Sault Ste. Marie Public Library, 2008. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.

“Roberta Bondar Q&A On Anniversary of Historic Flight.” Cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 22 Jan. 2007. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.