The following article was shared by Orillia's Carol Deimling, a retired teacher who has a special bond with Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar.
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On Jan. 22, 1992, Dr. Roberta Bondar became the world’s first neurologist and the first Canadian woman astronaut to fly onboard the Discovery spacecraft. On Jan. 22, 2022 a 30th anniversary gala was held virtually to celebrate Dr. Bondar’s flight and her subsequent achievements.
Dr. Bondar was born in Sault Ste. Marie. At the anniversary celebration she spoke about seeing that area between three lakes from the spacecraft. She also said that it was a life-changing experience as she first looked out the window of the spacecraft to see Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean - a pivotal experience to see the earth from above.
Aboard the spacecraft astronauts did experiments for eight days for a total of 40 experiments in material and life sciences as they circled the earth 129 times.
My sister, Dr. Mary Keyes from McMaster University, was a friend of Dr. Bondar’s. Mary and I were invited to the launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida in 1992. It was an experience of a lifetime and I reported about the day to a reporter at the Orillia Packet & Times.
At 4 a.m., we were situated for the launch five miles from the launch pad and following lift off we had a tour of the NASA building and viewed a video describing the astronauts who took part in the Discovery flight. Truly an exciting day for us.
Dr. Bondar had exemplary qualifications to be chosen for the flight as she had attended the University of Guelph for her bachelor of science degree in zoology and agriculture, a master’s at Western University and a doctorate in neurology at the University of Toronto.
After completing her PhD she did her doctor of medicine degree at McMaster University in Hamilton. In total, she had completed seven degrees, received a pilot’s licence as well as sky diving and scuba diving qualifications. She said at the celebration that she was amazed at how the brain can be in free fall in weightlessness. There is so much to learn about how the body reacts.
Since the flight in 1992, Dr. Bondar has accomplished a great deal. As a public speaker and lecturer, Dr. Bondar was invited to Orillia and we were privileged to have her speak to two groups of secondary school students.
She also spoke at medical rounds at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital and in the evening she spoke to community business leaders at the Chamber of Commerce Dinner at Fern Resort.
Also, she refined her photography expertise by taking training and took photographs of all of the National Parks in Canada. Later, she established the Roberta Bondar Foundation which responds to the recognized need within society to educate and improve knowledge of the environment in a way that stimulates interest, excitement, creativity, responsibility, and for some, the desire for study in this area.
Presently, she is working with NASA to check into migratory corridors for birds. Her foundation organizes environmental challenges for school students. One challenge is the Bondar challenge in which students are given cameras to take photographs of the environment and connect with the world they live in. In this way, she is connecting people and infusing science with art and art with science. Schools and camps deliver this innovative program to more than 3,500 young people each year in person or on-line.
On Jan. 22, this month at the virtual gala celebration, a number of dignitaries spoke of the great impact Dr. Bondar has made during and since the Discovery flight. The Governor General of Canada, her excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, the Lt. G. of Ontario, her honour the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell spoke with the latter calling Dr. Bondar a ‘renaissance person’.
Her secondary school mathematics teacher, John Fleming, the mission commander of the STS-42 Discovery, Col. Ronald Grabe, journalist Peter Mansbridge, singer Anne Murray mentioned that Dr. Bondar had asked her at the time to compile a tape of music she could enjoy in space. Singer Susan Aglukark, filmmaker Deepa Mehta and others spoke with glowing words about Dr. Bondar.
Mark Tewksbury was the emcee for the evening and presented questions from the gathering for Dr. Bondar. Mr. Tewksbury spoke of her sense of humour, humility and philanthropy. One question asked was what advice she would give to graduate students contemplating applying to become astronauts. She suggested that diversity of learning and training would be useful and the pursuit of science is important as ‘space is a great frontier.' She mentioned the James Webb space telescope.
Dr. Roberta Bondar is a national treasure with seven degrees, 28 honorary degrees and many awards including the Companion of the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame and she served as Chancellor at Trent University for six years.
She has written eight books and even been highlighted on the Letterkenny TV show three times. She has five schools named after her and 20 honours including a stamp, a coin and a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. She is truly a role model for young girls and boys. She is tenacious, professional and as a doctor her aim has been to help people.
It was a privilege and a pleasure for me to attend the launch of Dr. Bondar ‘s flight, entertain her as she visited our community in 1992 and then visit with her again virtually in 2022.
