U of T alumni make shortlist to become Canada’s next astronauts

ullahnor — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 18:18:53 +0000

ullahnor Thu, 02/02/2017 - 13:18

Cutline

Aaron Persad shows off a small sample of water he took on a microgravity simulation test flight in November 2016. Persad is one of 70 candidates the Canadian Space Agency is considering to become Canada’s next astronaut (photo courtesy Aaron Persad)

Tyler Irving

Author legacy

Tyler Irving

Topic

Global Lens

Space

Astronaut

Canadian Space Agency

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Subheadline

Five on the list are U of T engineering alumni; others include a marine geophysicist, a Canadian Armed Forces official and severe weather researcher with Environment and Climate Change Canada

Aaron Persad is one of 11 U of T alumni named to the Canadian Space Agency’s shortlist of candidates to become Canada’s next two astronauts.

“I felt excited, honoured and a bit surprised since I knew I was competing with very highly qualified colleagues,” said Persad. “While space is big, the space community is small, and I am delighted to see that several colleagues are also in the CSA shortlist.”

A postdoctoral researcher currently working in the lab of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Professor David Sinton, Persad is one of 72 people from across Canada under consideration for two upcoming astronaut roles with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

He's one of five U of T Engineering alumni to make the shortlist. Other Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering alumni on the list are:

Other U of T alumni on the shortlist include:

Any alumnus or alumna picked for the program would be following in the footsteps of such U of T astronauts as alumna Julie Payette and U of T Misissauga alumna Roberta Bondar, who took the crest of Erindale College, as U of T MIssissauga used to be known, into space with her as the first Canadian woman astronaut.

Persad’s dream of going to space began at the age of seven and his pursuit of it accelerated at U of T Engineering. During his undergraduate studies, he completed his Professional Experience Year internship at the CSA, including a flight in a Falcon-20 jet where he got experience the sensation of free-fall for the first time.

“It felt fantastic. I remember my legs had the tendency to float up toward my chest. I had to consciously keep them down,” said Persad.

Persad’s PhD research, supervised by Professor Emeritus Charles Ward, focused on solving a decades-old mystery about the behaviour of water in microgravity, specifically the shape it takes within a closed container. The seemingly simple question has important implications for life-support systems in space.

The project suffered a major setback when a SpaceX rocket meant to carry his experimental apparatus into orbit exploded in the summer of 2015. Undeterred, Persad created a new apparatus in time for the next launch in the summer of 2016. Last week, NASA astronaut Robert S. Kimbrough performed the experiment aboard the International Space Station.

Astronaut

U of T alumni make shortlist to become Canada’s next astronauts

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