Thousands apply as Canadian Space Agency seeks two new astronauts

More than 3,300 Canadians have started or completed their applications to become a new astronaut since the Canadian Space Agency kicked off a recruitment campaign.
Aaron Persad has been waiting a long time for another shot at going to space.
As a master’s student in 2008, Persad applied to be an astronaut through the Canadian Space Agency’s open recruitment campaign. He was unsuccessful and didn’t know when another chance would come to fulfil his lifelong dream.
But now, the 32-year-old is one of more than 400 hopefuls from Toronto who have applied to be one of Canada’s two newest astronauts, the most from any city. Until Aug. 15, the space agency is welcoming applications.
More than 3,300 Canadians have already started or completed their applications since the agency kicked off its recruitment campaign June 17.
Persad, a post-doctoral fellow in the University of Toronto’s engineering department, has dreamed of going to space since he was 7 years old.
“It pushes one to explore the limits of what they can actually do,” Persad, 32, said of being an astronaut. “There’s a lot of science to be done that can’t be done on earth, a lot of questions that you can answer.”
Persad said he originally dreamed of being an astronaut because he wanted to be taller than his sister and he heard on television that people grow two inches in space.
“That was the moment I decided I wanted to be an astronaut,” he said. “Since then I’ve been looking at what does it take to be an astronaut. I knew I would have to be good at math and science and that sort of guided my interest in school work.”
In order to apply, candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering or science field or a doctorate in medicine or dentistry. A list of relevant fields is available on the space agency’s website.
More than two-thirds of applicants have so far been men. In order to encourage more women to apply, the agency included as relevant degrees such fields as nursing, where women make up a high percentage of the profession. They have also targeted professional associations that cater to women from a public relations standpoint.
“We’re trying to make sure . . . their members are aware they have what it takes, at least on the educational side, to become an astronaut,” said Karl Saad, the space agency’s project manager.
Andreea Radulescu, a 35-year-old IT analyst from Toronto, is one of the women who have applied. She is also one of the 100 semifinalists for the Mars One project, in which 24 people will take a one-way trip to Mars in 2024.
“Basically, I’m just trying every opportunity. Space is one of those things that’s so unknown and curiosity has driven me towards it,” said Radulescu, who holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a masters in space science. “Just to go there and live there, obviously it’s risky. But if we manage to do that, the return in terms of research and the data that we’d get back would be phenomenal. I think it’s almost like you do a sacrifice for humanity.”
Saad said the agency is looking for applicants with diverse experiences who are adventurous.
For William Colgan, an assistant professor in earth and space sciences and engineering at York University, going to space could help build upon his research into glaciers and climate change.
“Obviously looking out the window and being able to see all of earth at once would be super exciting,” he said.
In addition to other physical requirements, candidates must be able to swim 250 metres in 10 minutes.
The space agency will decide its two successful applicants by June 2017.
Neither the rigorous application process nor the dangers of space travel are enough to hold back astronaut wannabes.
“There’s a healthy role that fear can play,” said Persad. “You want to use that fear to prepare yourself.”