Dr. Roberta Bondar

In 1992, Roberta Bondar became Canada's first female astronaut and the first neurologist in space. In addition to being one of the most academically distinguished people to travel to space, she has contributed immensely to space research and to bettering our planet.

“When I was eight years old to be a spaceman was the most exciting thing I could imagine” - Roberta Bondar

Born in 1945, Dr. Bondar quickly developed a passion for the sciences; her father even built a lab in the basement of her house where she often did experiments. Particularly because of that time period, she resolved to earn an education and prove her capabilities as a woman. Some of her degrees include a Bachelor of Science in zoology in 1968, a Doctor of Philosophy in neuroscience in 1974, and a Doctor of Medicine in 1977, and these are not all of them! For most of us, we most likely will not hold these many degrees in our lifetimes, or even desire to, but it is commendable and inspirational that she found her passion and committed herself to exploring it. She wanted to, and she did, so do not let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do. Find your passion and put in the work to achieve it.

Dr. Bondar was one of the first six members chosen for the Canadian Astronaut Corps and spent most of the 1980s in astronaut training. In 1992, she was selected as Payload Specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission, leading to her flying on the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery and conducting over 40 experiments in the Spacelab. Her work included studying the effect of low-gravity situations on humans, which allowed astronauts to spend longer times in space stations. Following this, she led an international team of researchers for NASA and analyzed data from missions on human space recovery.

Additionally, using fine art photography, Dr. Bondar continues to explore Earth's environment. In one of her projects, Protecting Space for Birds, she uses space, surface, and aerial views to highlight the habitats needed to protect endangered birds. In 2009, she officially started the Roberta Bondar Foundation for protecting the environment and connecting people to the natural world.

Among her many accomplishments and many positions including as an astronaut, a neurologist, and a photographer, Dr. Bondar truly is a woman to look up to.