Smith Makes It Through to Round of 32

Craig Bakay | Mar 08, 2017

And then there were 32.

From the initial round of about 4,000 applicants for the Canadian Astronaut Recruitment program, Harrowsmith’s Andrew Smith has moved on to the next round of 32 remaining applicants.

Two candidates will be selected to relocate to Houston, Texas, to begin basic astronaut training at the NASA’s Johnson Space Center in August.

“I am honoured to be selected out of such a distinguished group of individuals and am excited to be moving forward in this process,” Smith said. “I’m overwhelmed by the outpouring of support I’ve received from so many people.

“I would like to thank everyone who have taken the time to send words of encouragement.”

Smith said candidates haven’t been told if there will be further cuts before the final two are selected.

“The details of the selection process are not disclosed to candidates,” he said. “I know that there will be further evaluation which will ultimately lead to a selection of two candidates in June.”