Richard Federley has an insatiable curiosity.

This curiosity led him to the sign-up form to become Canada乌鸦传媒檚 next astronaut.

The 35-year-old teaches chemistry at UBCO and has been listed as one of the 32 candidates competing for two spots at the Canadian Space Agency.

乌鸦传媒淚 definitely have this incredible curiosity and drive to learn and experience as much as possible in my life. That乌鸦传媒檚 kind of pushed me to venture out and try a lot of new things,乌鸦传媒� said Federley.

Federley is a paraglider extraordinaire and can be seen outside exploring new ventures and trails around Kelowna.

But, for Federley, the ultimate exploration lies in space.

Astronauts are not only explorers of planets, but also of science, testing new inventions and ideas for those down on earth, he said.

乌鸦传媒淭hat to me is very appealing to get out and learn things in new areas.乌鸦传媒�

There乌鸦传媒檚 also the ability to engage the public, to have the opportunity to share his experiences with others, and teach them in new ways.

乌鸦传媒淚 encourage students to follow through on their passion, because even if they ultimately don乌鸦传媒檛 succeed in achieving their dream, the journey towards it is a phenomenal life experience and often the best part乌鸦传媒� he said.

As a young boy in grade school, Federley always thought being an astronaut would be a pretty cool job.

乌鸦传媒淎s a child, we think of floating and drops of water, but as I got older I saw the social and economic benefit for Canadians,乌鸦传媒� he said.

His ultimate goal is to help develop technologies and have a chance to give back to Canadians.

In order to become an astronaut, candidates must pass two main assessments.

The first session focused on physical assessments while the second focused on team building, collaboration and one乌鸦传媒檚 ability to respond in situations.

Even though the other candidates are competition, Federley said working with them has been a learning experience.

乌鸦传媒淭hey represent Canadians from different walks of life,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚t really is just a fantastic experience, it doesn乌鸦传媒檛 feel like we乌鸦传媒檙e competing at all乌鸦传媒� we want the person who succeeds to be built up.乌鸦传媒�

Federley loves the opportunity to be tested, saying he乌鸦传媒檚 got the chance to sample a flavour of what it乌鸦传媒檚 like to be an astronaut.

乌鸦传媒淗aving that opportunity chasing that dream will really enhance our lives,乌鸦传媒� he said.

Federley has been chosen from more than 3,700 participants. He expects to hear about the final selection this summer.

what it乌鸦传媒檚 like to go through the second training session.

To read the full version of this story, see Wednesday乌鸦传媒檚 edition of the Captial News.