Canadian astronaut and family physician Dr. Robert Thirsk to test motion sickness in space

TORONTO (June 11, 1996) - Dr. Robert Thirsk is packing his bags for the world’s longest house call.

The Canadian family physician leaves this month on an 11-million kilometre mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The 16-day mission is the longest-ever scheduled for a shuttle team.

"Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of space flight and being an astronaut, "says Dr. Thirsk, a member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). "I’am looking forward to putting my nose up to the window and watching the world go by."

At a speed of eight kilometres per second, the shuttle will take only 90 minutes to orbit the earth. During the course of each day, the shuttle will experience six sun rises and sets.

As a mission payload specialist, however, Dr., Thirsk will have more on his mind than just taking advantage of the world’s most exclusive room with a view. The shuttle team will conduct 41 experiments on behalf of scientists in U.S., Canada, and Europe during the Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) mission.

The experiments, which are part of the research leading up to the establishment of the international space station in 2002, will examine the effect of weightlessness on plants, animals and humans during prolonged flights.

Working in the LMS lab, a "Winnebago-sized" pressurized cylinder, Dr. Thirsk’s responsibilities will include research into motion sickness, a common ailment among astronauts.

"In space, you often get very ill during the first couple of days of weightlessness", explains Dr. Thirsk. "We’ll be studying how the brain and balance work in zero gravity."

The Torso Rotation Experiment, which was developed by a team of scientists at McGill University, will measure eye, head and torso movement and its role in inducing and controlling vomiting.

The hypothesis being tested is that one of the reasons astronauts experience motion sickness is that while they acclimatize to weightlessness, they keep their head and neck rigid. That restricted movement may, in fact, stimulate nausea and vomiting.

According to CFPC President, Dr. Cheri Bethune, Dr. Thirsk’s work in space may have direct benefits for tender tummies back here on earth.

"Every parent who has had to console an ailing child during a long summer trip knows that car sickness is a pretty debilitating illness," says Dr. Bethune, who will be travelling to Cape Canaveral for the launch. "We are hopeful that this Canadian family physician working on a Canadian experiment may be able to contribute to the development of new therapies and treatments for motion sickness."

When the shuttle lifts off on June 20th, Dr. Thirsk, 42, will become the fifth Canadian to travel into space. A graduate of McGill University in 1983, Dr. Thirsk has continued to practise family medicine on a part-time basis during his 12-year involvement with the Canadian Space Agency. In addition to his medical training, Dr. Thirsk also has an engineering degree and a masters in mechanical engineering from MIT.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is the national medical association which promotes quality, frontline health care to Canadians. Through a wide range of educational programs, the CFPC strives to promote high standards of care provided by family doctors, contribute to public understanding of healthy living, and support access to the services of family doctors. Continuing medical education is mandatory for members. The CFPC accredits the family medicine residency training programs in the 16 medical schools in Canada.

For more information, please contact:

Leslie Stafford (Challis)
Communications Officer
(905) 629-0900 or
email at: lstafford@cfpc.ca