An astronaut from New Westminster is blasting off tomorrow morning for a six-month stint aboard the International Space Station.
At the end of his mission, Robert Thirsk will have set the Canadian record for longest time in space.
He is part of a six-person crew launching from Kazakhstan to join three other astronauts already aboard the space station.
One of their mission goals is to test the endurance of the human body in space. That information could one day lead to colonies on the moon and Mars.
Thirsk, who is taking part in his second trip into space, will serve as the crew’s medical officer and robotics specialist.
