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Roberta Bondar is a pioneering Canadian astronaut and one of the world's leading neuroscience experts in space medicine. Born on December 4, 1945, at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, she became the first Canadian woman in space in 1992 when she flew on board the space shuttle Discovery.

Dr. Bondar's mission has been to explore space, to investigate potential effects on the human body from long-term exposures to stress and microgravity environments in space. Her research has helped identify ways to protect astronauts from potential physical and psychological effects.

The medical benefits from Dr. Bondar's research in space have had a positive impact on people living on Earth. Many of the techniques and discoveries her mission made in space are now included in treatments and procedures for Earthbound medical problems.

One of Dr. Bondar's important discoveries was the role of sleep in space. It was found that a disturbed sleep/wake schedule could lead to physical changes that could be harmful to astronauts. Dr. Bondar helped develop countermeasures to help astronauts in space stay healthy and maintain regular sleep patterns. On Earth, Dr. Bondar's research has informed new sleep studies and treatments, leading to better understanding of the role of sleep in physical and mental health.

Dr. Bondar also researched how blood is distributed in the human body when in a microgravity environment. She identified the physiological changes that occur when getting adapted to a certain weightless environment. Her studies on adaptation to Spacelab showed the importance of staging countermeasures inside the spacecraft to help the astronauts adapt back to gravity. Now, these techniques are used on Earth to help older patients with balance and coordination disorders or to help those recovering from traumatic brain injuries.

In addition to the medical benefits from Dr. Bondar's research, she also shed light on the psychological impacts of space exploration and space travel. She found out that astronauts experience post-mission stress equivalent to that of veterans who have been in battle, and the concept of microgravity which came to be known as the ‘overview effect’. In addition to her work as an Astronaut, Dr. Bondar continues to this day to be a strong and inspiring female figure to millions of people around the world.

The research and work of Dr. Bondar has unimaginably had a positive effect on Earth, as astronauts continue to explore and work in space. Her pioneering work in space medicine has changed the landscape of medical treatments, seeing that the ideas found in space can be successfully transplanted to procedures and treatments applicable to our own planet. Through her commitment to discover and investigate, Dr. Bondar has changed countless lives and serves as a brilliant example of women in the sciences.