Robert Thirsk
Robert Brent Thirsk is a Canadian engineer, physician, and former Canadian Space Agency astronaut. He is one of Canada's most experienced astronauts and held the Canadian cumulative-time-in-space record for many years.
- Born
- August 17, 1953
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- New Westminster, British Columbia,Canada
Flights
2
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
204 days, 18 hours, 29 minutes
Bio
Thirsk studied mechanical engineering, medicine, and business before joining Canada's astronaut program. His first spaceflight was STS-78, the Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission, where he worked as a on biomedical and materials research.
He later launched on Soyuz TMA-15 and served aboard 20, becoming part of the first six-person International crew. That mission placed Canada inside the daily operations of a fully crewed orbital laboratory. His career helped define Canada's long-duration human-spaceflight presence beyond shuttle payload roles.