Two Calgarians are finalists for astronaut selection
Space has long captured the interest of Calgary-born Jenni Sidey.
When she was a little girl, she recalls looking up to Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut.
“I remember my mum took me to go see her speak when I was younger, so I always had this kind of hero in the back of my head,” Sidey said in an interview.
Now 28, Sidey is one of 17 candidates vying for two new astronaut positions with the Canadian Space Agency. She is one of two shortlisted applicants with ties to Calgary.
Michelle Whitty, a combat engineering officer and doctor, is currently completing her residency in family medicine at the University of Calgary.
Sidey, who is a lecturer in the department of engineering at the University of Cambridge, said it didn’t really hit home until a news conference was held in Toronto last week that she has actually made it this far in the process. “It’s just incredible,” she said. As a student, Sidey was always very science-focused, and was soon pursuing an education in engineering, getting her bachelor’s degree at McGill University in Montreal, then moving to Cambridge, England, for her PhD.
She has been there for about five and a half years working as a teacher and researcher in combustion science.
When she saw the call out for applications to the Canadian Space Agency last June, Sidey said it was “just too good an opportunity to pass up.”
Since candidates submitted their applications in August, the pool has been whittled down from 3,772 applicants to the current shortlist of 17.
The rigorous screening process has included everything from medical histories and security clearances to a series of assessments, including tests of cognitive abilities, spatial awareness, memory, physical fitness and swimming fitness.
“That’s a big one because a lot of astronaut training happens in a pool, so you can’t have any water phobias — you have to be a very fit swimmer,” Sidey said.
The process has also included a lot of teamwork exercises, stress tests to see how the candidates act when they are under pressure, and survival training.
“These were the kind of tests where we had to try and stop a room from flooding with freezing water, or fight a big fire or escape from a helicopter underwater,” she said.
“Those were such a challenge ... but really rewarding once I actually did them.”
Being on a shortlist of candidates with a wide variety of backgrounds has allowed Sidey to meet some people she never would have encountered in a different walk of life, she noted.
“The people I’ve met here are incredible Canadians,” she said. “I think they’re so wonderful, and also we’ve been through a lot together actually ... So I certainly hope I spend more time with them in the future.”
The ability to interact with varied Canadians is part of what inspires Sidey about the work of astronauts.
“The big thing that the astronaut position, in my opinion, lets you do is interact with a lot of different Canadians and get them interested in space and science, and that is so unique,” she said.
“The platform that this job affords you is incredible ... It’s like nothing else.”
The two new astronaut positions are expected to be announced in the summer.