U of C to grant orbiting astronaut honorary degree

A Canadian astronaut currently orbiting the Earth will be granted an honorary law degree this summer.

The University of Calgary will grant the degree to Robert Thirsk on July 8 via a live link between the International Space Station and the Eckhardt-Gramatte Concert Hall on campus.

The university says it's the first presentation of its kind.

"I could not think of a more deserving recipient than Bob Thirsk," said President Harvey Weingarten in a statement on Tuesday. "His accomplishments are beyond impressive, and he remains a thoroughly genuine and compassionate individual."

Thirsk earned a mechanical engineering degree from the university in 1976.

In a message to the university from the space station, Thirsk said he was "humbled" by the choice.

Thirsk blasted off in a Soyuz spacecraft in May, beginning a record-setting six-month mission at the International Space Station. It is his second mission in space. He made his first 16-day space flight aboard the U.S. space shuttle Columbia in 1996.