Grounded in values, aiming for the stars

Editor's note: This article was originally published in UCalgary AlumniNews.

When Robert Thirsk appears on screen for this interview, his Zoom background is a canvas of stars and sky, a fitting nod to his nearly 205 days in space, more than any other Canadian in history. But it’s not the backdrop that lingers, it’s the way he speaks: humble, reflective and with a clear-eyed vision for our future. 

With the announcement of the 2025 class of Arch Award recipients, it feels only right to look back at the Order of Canada recipient who is arguably one of the most notable of all UCalgary alumni, certainly the only one to have lived in orbit around the planet.  

Dr. Thirsk, BSc (Eng)’76, Hon. LLD’09, MDCM, DEng, was the very first recipient of an Arch Award in 1985 while still years away from his first mission, but already charting a path that would inspire a generation. 

Space . . .

“When I received the call telling me I’d been chosen as the first recipient, I was blown away,” recalls Thirsk, who was part of Canada’s inaugural astronaut cohort in 1983. “Even though I’d had a fortunate career, there were so many other accomplished people at the university who had already contributed to the world and (at that point) I was still early in my astronaut career and suffering from imposter syndrome.” 

That amazing career is marked by a series of historic firsts in Canadian space exploration. He flew his first mission aboard Columbia (STS-78) in 1996, a 17-day research flight, and later became the first Canadian to complete a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station in 2009, spending 188 days in orbit.  

He also broke ground as the first astronaut to publish a newspaper column from space (for the Calgary Sun) and as the first person to receive an honorary university degree while in orbit, conferred by the University of Calgary in 2009. His leadership extended underwater as commander of the NEEMO 7 undersea mission in 2004, and he trained as a Soyuz flight engineer, serving as backup to the European Space Agency’s Roberto Vittori in 2005. 

After his space career, Thirsk transitioned into influential leadership roles, including vice-president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and he served as UCalgary’s chancellor from 2014 to 2018. He also chaired the Canadian Space Agency’s Advisory Council on Deep Space Healthcare and serves as adjunct faculty at the International Space University. His contributions have been recognized with numerous honours, including being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013 and a member of the Order of British Columbia in 2012, as well as multiple NASA and Russian medals and several honorary doctorates in addition to UCalgary’s.  

As we talk about innovation, interdisciplinarity training and the next generation of UCalgary alumni, Thirsk’s voice carries the steady optimism of someone who has seen our planet from a perspective few ever will. His hope is contagious and it’s a reminder the Arch Awards are very much about shaping the future. 

The final frontier .  .  .

Long before the space missions and national headlines, Thirsk was a young mechanical engineering student on a campus that was, like him, still finding its shape.  

“I graduated with an engineering degree in 1976. I was part of one of the earliest cohorts to graduate,” says Thirsk. “As I was growing academically, the university was also growing, I witnessed many transitions and improvements — it felt like I was part of that evolution.” 

UCalgary was still a relatively small university then, “the kind that allowed you to know your classmates and professors well.” In his fourth year, one such professor pulled Thirsk aside and asked what he wanted to do with his life. When he replied that he wanted to work in the space program, the professor surprised him with an unconventional suggestion: Go to medical school after engineering.  

“That educational path had never crossed my mind,” Thirsk says. “But, the more I thought about it, the more a medical degree made sense for my ambitions. I followed his advice and, about 18 months after graduating from medical school (McGill University), I was selected as an astronaut.” 

The friendships forged during those early UCalgary years have endured for nearly five decades, with Thirsk’s graduating class from what is now the Schulich School of Engineering set to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2026.  

“We only had 30 graduates in my mechanical engineering class,” says Thirsk. “We still keep in touch. Once a month, the Calgary cohort gets together for breakfast. I live in Ottawa now, so I don’t always join, but that bond we formed 50 years ago is still strong.”  

Thirsk rattles off names like Soren Christiansen, BSc(Eng)’76, Glen C. Fischer, BSc(Eng)’76 and Gary Metcalfe, BSc(Eng)’76, each of whom role modeled his understanding of leadership, self-management and teamwork.  

“While working on problem sets together late at night, I learned teamwork and different approaches to problem solving,” says Thirsk. “I’m indebted to my classmates and professors for helping lay the foundation for everything that came after.” 

These are the voyages . . . 

Looking at the graduating Schulich classes of today, whose students number in the hundreds, Thirsk sees that same spirit, but with opportunities that have grown exponentially.  

“I see boldness and vision in the current cohort,” he says. “These are tough geopolitical times, but the University of Calgary does a great job designing educational curricula that are relevant to global issues. UCalgary really is one of Canada’s most entrepreneurial universities; you see that in the competitions our students are winning.” 

The cross-disciplinary approach that helped shape Thirsk’s path is now built into the student experience with opportunities like solar car projects that bring together engineering and business students. 

“There seems to be an awareness at (UCalgary) about the importance of international, cross-disciplinary and multi-cultural experiences,” says Thirsk. “The pedagogy is well equipping the current generation of students to be relevant contributors to their first organization, agency or company, immediately after graduation.” 

For Thirsk, such cross-disciplinary teaching and learning isn’t just a trend; in 2025, it’s essential.  

“Very few professionals operate in silos, most of the work we do today, certainly in the space program, is team-based,” he says. “UCalgary understands that; the provost and deans foster these kinds of collaborative environments.” 

A continuing mission . . . 

When the now-72-year-old Canadian hero talks about the future, his vision blends practicality with imagination. He sees innovation and advances in technology as something that will emerge to meet pressing needs.  

In Canada, for example, one of the most urgent needs Thirsk sees is access to health care. “Six million Canadians do not have a family doctor,” he says, adding he believes that gap will drive breakthroughs and innovations like AI-enabled diagnostic tools — “something like the handheld tricorder from Star Trek” to empower frontline health workers and help them deliver care in underserved communities.

“Innovations are driven by social need,” Thirsk maintains. “The University of Calgary understands these needs and is investing resources and intellectual talent to address them.” 

But, for all his interest in technology, it’s the perspective from orbit that most shapes his sense of responsibility.    

“I reflect back on my space experience every day,” Thirsk says. “Many of my memories centre on my incredible crewmates, and many are about the view out the window.” 

From space, he began to see Earth as a single, fragile ecosystem, made up of interconnected systems: land, water, atmosphere, plants, animals and people, all relying on each other. He says it’s a truly visual representation and metaphor for us all to ponder.  

Thirsk explains how national identities fade when faced with the big picture.  

“I was proud to fly as a Calgarian and as a proud Canadian, but, after a few weeks, you start to lose the notion of regionalism and you feel more as a citizen of Earth, a member of humanity. Global issues become more important than local ones,” he says. 

“It's very easy to see when there's a disruption on the planetary surface, how that disruption is not localized — it becomes global. (A) wildfire in northern Alberta sends smoke into the atmosphere that can drift across oceans and affect the quality of air that people breathe in Europe or Africa.” 

Seeing how thin and delicate the atmosphere appeared from orbit drove home the planet’s vulnerability. “You really see how fragile the Earth's ecosystem is,” says Thirsk. “The difference between an Earth teeming with life and a lifeless one is that thin veil of atmosphere. If it disappeared, life would cease.” 

Boldly go . . . 

It may be an oversimplification by this author, but the Fermi Paradox essentially asks: If intelligent life is likely common in the universe, why haven’t we found evidence of it or been contacted? The question also invites a more self-reflective one: Are we ready to be part of a larger cosmic conversation? Are we a civilization worth discovering? 

Finding life elsewhere in our lifetime, Thirsk says, would be “the story of the century,” but only if we’ve first done the work of preserving our own world. That means preparing world leaders to manage the next planetary crisis, whether it’s a pandemic, rogue AI, or even an asteroid strike. 

“We need to preserve this planet,” he says. “There are leaders in the world today whose isolationist, selfish approaches could harm us all. I worry about them taking actions that are not only unhelpful, but even destructive for the health of the entire planet.” 

When asked what he feels UCalgary is doing to equip the next generation, the former chancellor points to the leadership training at the Haskayne School of Business and Schulich School of Engineering as being extremely relevant. 

“They're teaching students to be ethical, empathetic leaders,” he says. “In the years to come, another global crisis will arise. Universities must provide the kind of training for our future leaders that allows them to be well prepared to manage future crises; to not fly by the seat of their pants.” 

"Leaders acquire this ability through training, through simulations. Many University of Calgary programs are providing this kind of experiential training."

From that first Arch Award to a career that has taken him far beyond Earth’s atmosphere, Thirsk has remained grounded in the lessons he learned at UCalgary: teamwork, leadership and a commitment to the greater good.  

40 years of Arch Awards 

It’s been 40 years since the University of Calgary Alumni Association (UCAA) first launched the Arch Awards to honour extraordinary alumni whose impact reaches far beyond campus. In that time, 118 alumni have been recognized, including more than 80 doctors and researchers, two judges, three Canadian Olympic medallists, four Order of Canada recipients — and, of course, one future astronaut. 

“In those early days, the Alumni Association was still finding its footing, with a young and growing community of about 25,000 graduates,” says former UCAA President Jack Crawford, BSc (Eng)’73, MBA’91. “Recognizing outstanding alumni like Bob Thirsk felt like an important step in building a lasting tradition. He was a natural choice; even then, his achievements stood out.” 

Dr. Robert Thirsk’s story is a reminder that, while great achievements can launch from anywhere, they’re sustained by the values carried all the way home.