Dr. Roberta Bondar was born in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario on December 4, 1945. Dr. Bondar completed both her elementary and secondary schooling in Sault Ste. Marie graduating from Sir James Dunn Collegiate & Vocational School. Her father, Edward Bondar was an office manager at the Sault Ste. Marie Public Utilities Commission and her mother, Mildred, taught business and commerce. Both parents encouraged Roberta and her older sister, Barbara to be goal oriented and the girls were involved in many activities including Girl Guides, the YMCA, Anglican Church groups and many sporting activities. As a young girl Dr. Bondar was fascinated with science and her father built her a laboratory in their basement. In high school, a science project led Dr. Bondar to a summer job studying the spruce budworm at what is today the Great Lakes Forestry Centre.
Dr. Bondar continued her work in the sciences receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Zoology and Agriculture from Guelph University in 1968, a Master of Science Degree in Experimental Pathology from the University of Western Ontario in 1971, a Doctrate in Neurobiology from the the University of Toronto in 1974, a Doctor of Medicine Degree from McMaster University in 1977 and she was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in neurology in 1981. (1)
Bondar began astronaut training in 1984, and in 1992 was designated Payload Specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission (IML-1). Bondar flew on the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery during Mission STS-42, January 22–30, 1992, during which she performed experiments in the Spacelab.
After her astronaut career, Bondar led an international team of researchers at NASA for more than a decade, examining data obtained from astronauts on space missions to better understand the mechanisms underlying the body’s ability to recover from exposure to space. She also pursued her interests in photography, with emphasis on natural environments. She is the author of four photo essay books featuring her photography of the Earth: Landscape of Dreams, Passionate Vision, The Arid Edge of Earth and Touching the Earth. She is featured in the IMAX movie Destiny in Space, and has also co-anchored the Discovery Channel’s coverage of space shuttle launches. Bondar served two terms as the Chancellor of Trent University, from 2003 to 2009. In 2009, Bondar registered The Roberta Bondar Foundation as a not-for-profit charity. The foundation centers on environmental awareness.
On June 28, 2011, it was announced that Bondar would receive a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame and would be inducted on October 1 at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto. She was the first astronaut to receive the honour. In her hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, the Roberta Bondar Park pavilion bears her name, as does the marina beside the park and the Ontario government building at 70 Foster Drive. Bondar has also been honoured with a marker on Sault Ste. Marie’s Walk of Fame.
In 1996, the Dr. Roberta Bondar Public School was opened in Ajax, Ontario and Roberta Bondar Public School was opened in Ottawa. In 2005, another public school named Roberta Bondar Public School opened in Brampton, Ontario. There are also Dr. Roberta Bondar Elementary School in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and Dr. Roberta Bondar Public School in Maple (Vaughan), Ontario. (2)
