After earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT, Thirsk went on to study medicine at McGill University, deepening his understanding of human physiology and disease. With this invaluable educational combination, he was selected as a Canadian Space Agency astronaut in 1983, becoming a central figure in decades of international missions. His first came in 1996 aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia, followed by a six-month mission on the International Space Station in 2009. Thirsk continues to hold the Canadian record for the most cumulative time in space.

Now based in Ottawa, Thirsk remains a passionate advocate for exploration, innovation and lifelong learning. He has inspired generations of young Canadians to pursue careers in STEM and frequently speaks about the importance of curiosity, teamwork, and resilience. We connected over Zoom to discuss his career, the rise of space tourism, geopolitics, sci-fi movies, and where humanity might venture next.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Robin Esrock: You followed an academic path that could have led to any number of successful directions. How did you end up being an astronaut?

Bob Thirsk: I was a child of the 1960s and 1970s, when the world was moving quickly on many fronts, especially in the space program. The first person flew in space in April 1961, and only eight years later, two people walked on the moon. Amazing! I can remember watching the images on TV, then running out to the backyard and looking up at the moon, trying to reconcile in my mind what was going on. 

In the 60s, we also had amazing world leaders, and we did inspirational feats that served to measure the best of our energies and skills. In my last year of engineering, one of my professors took me aside and asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I told him about my interest in space, and he recommended I get a medical degree to go with my engineering degree. His advice took me by surprise, but it made sense, because a lot of the barriers that prevent us from exploring deeper space are medical: how do we protect astronauts against the harmful effects of weightlessness, against ionizing radiation, against the effects of isolation and confinement? I did another engineering degree, picked up the pre-med courses, and then went off to medical school. It worked out well. A year and a half after I graduated, I was selected as a Canadian astronaut. I’m very grateful to that professor who gave me that good advice.

RE: What does a typical day look like aboard the International Space Station, and how much of it is routine versus extraordinary?

BT: I was awake from 6 a.m. to about 10 p.m. We live by Greenwich Mean Time, by the way. The workday is usually from around 7 a.m. until about 6 p.m. In addition to research, there’s housekeeping, maintenance, and repair work. The workday schedule also includes three meals and an hour and a half of exercise every day. After 7 p.m., the ground tries to leave us alone, so the crew has three hours to socialize and attend to personal matters. During our downtime, we’re looking out the windows. While there’s a well-stocked library aboard the Station with hundreds of DVDs and books, I never watched a movie or read a book during my time in space. If I had even five minutes of downtime, I would be at a window gazing down on this beautiful planet. My priority would also be to contact my family with the phone we had on board.

RE: We always hear about astronauts conducting scientific research and experiments in space, but we don’t hear much about how those experiments affect life on Earth. Can you recall any space experiments that had a real-world impact on people’s lives?

BT: If you haven’t heard of some of these examples, it’s an indictment of the space program’s communications efforts. There are thousands of applications and spin-offs of space research that meet the socioeconomic needs of Canadians and world citizens. The one I’m probably most proud of is neurosurgical robots. The University of Calgary worked with a leading Canadian space company called MDA to adapt robotic technology for the space shuttle into a hospital-based neurosurgical robot called neuroArm. The neuroArm robot has the same dexterity as the world’s best neurosurgeon but is more precise and tremor-free. It’s performed hundreds of successful operations. 

If there’s one area of society that has benefited from investment in space research, it’s the medical community. A lot of the wireless technologies that you find in hospitals today came from the Apollo space program. The space program also advanced processing technologies for MRI, CT and other imaging systems.

RE: I’m a travel writer who specializes in unique experiences. Do you think space tourism will realistically become a thing?

BT: It is a thing now, but unfortunately, it’s restricted or limited only to the very elite. I hope that in the decades to come, space will become available to many more citizens of limited means. The hope is that, in the years to come, the private sector will take over Earth observation, cargo delivery, and human transport without government subsidies. 

It will help to get more people into space to communicate the experience — the view of Earth from space; the fragility, vulnerability and isolation of our planetary home. I look forward to a day when we can have thousands of people spending time in space and returning to tell their story. 

RE: My 12-year-old daughter and I enjoy watching Neil deGrasse Tyson clips on YouTube. Now she tells me she wants to be an astrobiologist! If you could give some advice to young Canadians looking to the stars, what would it be?

BT: Astrobiology would be a very exciting vocation to pursue. The story of the 21st century may well be the discovery of life elsewhere. I think that will be another moment in civilization, when everyone sits back and says, “Wow!” We’ll be thinking about the bigger picture of life and collaboration. My advice to any young person or anyone with a dream to do something audacious is to get a solid education. We have to provide the resources and encourage young people to consider graduate school, followed by opportunities for relevant work experience.