A military fighter pilot, a navigation engineer for NASA and a UVic oceanographer are all in the running to become the next new Canadian astronaut.
U-Vic oceanographer, Jay Cullen is among 72 candidates shortlisted by the Canadian Space Agency to become one of two new Canadian space adventurers.
Cullen tells CFAX there are many parallels between his work in the ocean and that of space exploration.
"A lot of work I've done in the field is not identical of course, but similar in terms of the isolation and the extreme conditions we sometimes need to work under when we are on research vessels."
In the coming weeks, Cullen will take part in a series of physical, mental and social assessments to progress to the next round of recruitment.