Original publication date: Feb. 18, 1992
OTTAWA – Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar received an official Ottawa welcome Monday as she returned to Canada following her historic mission in space.
Bondar, sporting a Canadian flag on her NASA suit, said she was thrilled to be back in her homeland.
"I have had the unusual opportunity of putting something in perspective that few of us do," Bondar said when asked what lasting impression her eight-day space shuttle mission has made on her.
She described her sense of wonder over the beauty of the planet – and frustration over the petty preoccupations that keep many people from enjoying it.
"To me, it’s just incredible that there are some small problems and petty issues that go on that prevent us from enjoying this experience, because this planet is beautiful.
"It seems ridiculous to have divisive things going on anywhere in the world. And it’s that kind of feeling that is a gift that I’ve been given."
Bondar, 46, recounted details of her mission, only the second for a Canadian astronaut and the first for a woman. She said the mission has been called NASA’s most successful in terms of the numbers of experiments carried out.
She spoke of long hours, the difficulty of manoeuvring and working in space and problems with a faulty toilet.
But whether she spoke of the problems or of the vibrancy of the turquoise Caribbean, there was wonder in Bondar’s voice.
She told of looking out over the world as she listened to Bette Midler’s From a Distance, a song with a spiritual message.
"I cannot tell you what that did to me. It was like: This super cool scientist was up there floating around and was just like mush, at one with this earth and this music.
"It was the most incredible feeling. And I just let myself float and enjoy it."
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