The Canadian Space Agency confirmed the death of Bjarni Tryggvason, who was part of the original six Canadian spaceflights, at the age of 76. Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Tryggvason was raised in Vancouver.  

He joined the Canadian Space Program in 1983 and carried out his sole and only mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1997. On that 12-day mission, he orbited the Earth 189 times, conducted experiments on the atmosphere and the effect of spaceflight on shuttle equipment. After leaving the program in 2008, he returned to teaching at what is now known as Western University.

His colleagues in the space program fondly remember him as a precise engineer and inventor, and as a person who always had a sparkle of humor in his eyes.