Astronaut
The Making of Dreams
“When I was eight years old to be a spaceman was the most exciting thing I could imagine.”
A childhood dream to be an astronaut was realized when Dr. Roberta Bondar launched from Earth in January 1992 aboard NASA's space shuttle Discovery as the first neurologist in space and Canada's first woman astronaut. As a payload specialist she conducted advanced scientific experiments for fourteen nations.
Back on Earth, Dr. Bondar and her team of researchers examined data obtained from astronauts on 24 space missions to better understand the mechanisms underlying the body's ability to recover from exposure to space.
Mission Facts
14th flight of space shuttle Discovery, International crew, Experiments on the International Microgravity Labratory IML-1
STS-42 Space Shuttle Discovery
January 22-30, 1992
Launch: (Universal Time)
January 22, 1992, 14h 52m 33s
Cape Canaveral, Launch Complex 39-A
Payload mass: 28,602 lbs (13 001 kg)
Duration of flight: 8d 01h 15m 43s
Distance:
3,360 million miles (5,407 million km)
Revolutions around Earth: 129
Landing date: (wheel stop, Universal Time)
January 30, 1992, 16h 08m 16s
Landing: Runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base, California
Orbital parameters:
inclination:57 degrees
period: 90.5 minutes
perigree: 180.8 miles (291 km)
apogee: 190 miles (307 km)
Crew:
Ronald J. Grabe
Stephen S. Oswald
David C. Hilmers
Norman E. Thagard
William F. Readdy
Roberta L. Bondar
Ulf D. Merbold
Space Gallery
Click on images
EDUCATION
Launching the Future
“Society needs heroes to rejuvenate, re-energize and renew itself with visions of the possible. That's what heroes do.”
The excitement of learning and the sharing of knowledge has been a hallmark of Roberta Bondar's career. While a new generation carries on her medical and scientific space research at American and Canadian universities, even younger generations model themselves on her passionate quest, especially in four elementary schools bearing her name:
• Dr. Roberta Bondar Elementary School, Abbotsford, BC
• Roberta Bondar Public School, Ottawa, ON
• Dr. Roberta Bondar Public School, Ajax, ON
• Roberta Bondar Public School, Brampton, ON
“Without knowledge, the world is bereft of culture. And so we must be educators and students both. At some point, an educator must broaden the net to include all issues relevant to humanity's challenges.”