One MD, one fighter pilot will be new astronauts

We recently wondered "Will Canada's next astronaut be an MD?" On Wednesday, the Canadian Space Agency gave us the answer: yes.

The CSA announced the two newest additions to its team of astronauts: Montreal physician/astrophysicist David Saint-Jacques (pictured left), and Alberta CF-18 fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen.

Dr Saint-Jacques only recently received his medical degree, from the Université de Laval. Here is the CSA's brief bio:

David Saint-Jacques
Born: Québec, QC
Raised: Saint-Lambert, QC
Current residence: Montreal, QC and Puvirnituq, QC
Education:
-BEng, Engineering Physics, École polytechnique de Montréal (1993)
-PhD, Astrophysics, Cambridge University, UK (1998)
-MD, Université Laval (2005)
David is currently a medical doctor practicing at Inuulitsivik Health Centre in Puvirnituq, Northern Quebec. He also works as a Clinical Faculty Lecturer at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine.

Dr Saint-Jacques's selection means that the current CSA astronaut roster of five includes two physicians: Dr Saint-Jacques and Dr Robert Thirsk. (To read my Q&A with Dr Thirsk in the current issue of Parkhurst Exchange magazine, click here.)

Toronto trauma physician Christopher Denny and University of Manitoba med student and former helicopter pilot Keith Wilson made it to the final recruitment round of 16 candidates before the CSA made their final selections.

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