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Since he was a child, Richard Federley has always dreamed of soaring above the clouds and exploring some far off galaxy. He already paraglides and skydives. Now, he’s getting one step closer to realizing that higher dream.
Federley, a UBC Okanagan chemistry instructor has been shortlisted to be one of the next two astronauts for the Canadian Space Agency program (CSA).
In the summer of 2016, the CSA announced that it would be selecting two Canadians for the program. Federley applied, along with 4,000 other Canadians.
Everything got a little more real for Federley this month when he was shortlisted to a list of 72 candidates.
"It was a tremendous feeling. It's very surreal. It almost feels very dream-like in a sense. I was definitely incredibly happy,” said Federley.
Federley, a chemistry instructor at UBC Okanagan recently returned from the Astronaut Assessment Centre. He was sent to the AAC for further astronaut testing, which he said details about the tests must remain confidential.
"There are a lot of physical tests. Tests for teamwork and reasoning and so forth,” he said.
The testing process lasted several days. Federley expressed anything but feelings of exhaustion.
“It was an absolutely sensational life experience. Just to go through the testing and getting to meet members of the CSA - It's definitely something that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life and it really was phenomenal.”
But as far as what’s next, Federley is left in the dark. He won’t hear any sooner about the CSA’s selection than the public.
For now, he must wait patiently and imagine what it would be like to have his dream realized.
"If I was lucky enough to make it that far, it would just be a tremendous feeling of honour to be able to represent Canadians. You know, as we look towards space, you know that would be a really- just it would be a tremendous honour.”
Federley and his wife have lived in Kelowna for two years. Federley is originally from Sault Ste. Marie.
Cover photo taken from Canadian Space Agency Facebook page.
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