posted 04-23-2021 11:37 AM               

Says Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut, "A rarity for astronauts to trust anyone outside of our own orbit, we believed in the IMAX folks, not only as respected movie-makers but as trusted members of our own space team, integral to the success of our missions - the storytelling that would survive any of us."

Her IMAX credits include "Hail Columbia!" "The Dream is Alive," "Blue Planet" and "Destiny in Space."

Phyllis's inimitable low-key style was evident in her regular routine of going to the Johnson Space Centre cafeteria every day, finding an empty table and waiting, quietly and confidently, as astronauts and flight directors would come by to share news and opinions. Sometimes an astronaut who had just been named to command a flight would ask her if there was any chance to get an IMAX camera on board.

"To me she was the glue that held the IMAX Space Team and the NASA 'extended family' together," says Bill Readdy, former astronaut and associate administrator of NASA's Space Flight office.