University prof shoots for the stars
UBCO chemistry professor among 72 candidates to become Canada’s next 2 astronauts
AKelowna chemistry professor hopes to slip the surly bonds of earth and become an astronaut. Richard Federly is among 72 astronaut candidates currently being evaluated by the Canadian Space Agency. More than 3,700 people began the selection process last year.
“I absolutely love to explore and I have an insatiable curiosity to understand how things work,” Federly says in his profile on the CSA website.
“I believe my life experiences, education and scientific knowledge will allow me to significantly contribute to the advancement of science and space flight,” he says.
At UBC Okanagan, Federly teaches general chemistry, environmental atmospheric chemistry and environmental aqueous chemistry. He also holds a pilot’s licence, and his hobbies include parachuting, whitewater kayaking, ice climbing and dirt biking.
“I continually need to keep pushing towards something new,” Federly says in a UBCO press release. “I often think, ‘OK, that was fun. Where will this lead to next?’”
Federly recently returned from the CSA’s astronaut assessment centre, where he underwent a variety of physical exams and aptitude tests.
Federly was born in Sault St. Marie, Ont. A man who was born in Kelowna, air force doctor Ross Semeniuk, is also among the 72 astronaut hopefuls.
The would-be astronauts work in fields such as medicine, engineering, aerospace and biological sciences.
The two people chosen to be Canada’s next astronauts will be named this summer, then move to Houston to begin their training with NASA.