Selecting and Training the First-Ever Filipino Astronaut

MANILA, Philippines - In 2014, the first Filipino is flying to space.

On Thursday, January 10 (Manila time), American astronaut Buzz Aldrin kicked off the AXE Apollo Space Academy (AASA) in New York. The Academy is an online contest that will send 22 winners -- all civilians -- "to the edge of space and back aboard a private spaceship," according to space.com.

They will be on board the Lynx space plane built by XCOR Aerospace. "Space travel for everyone is the next frontier in the human experience," said Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon in NASA's 1969 Apollo 11. "I'm thrilled that AXE is giving the young people of today such an extraordinary opportunity to experience some of what I've encountered in space."

The campaign comes with the help of AXE Apollo, the newest fragrance in the men's personal care line from Unilever, in partnership with American space travel agency Space Expedition Corporation (Space XC).

The Philippines will be one of 22 countries that will be participating in the contest, which is being organized globally by Unilever and Space XC. The other countries participating in the campaign are:

• The United Kingdom
• Germany
• The Netherlands
• Russia
• Turkey
• India
• Indonesia
• China
• Japan
• Vietnam
• Australia
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• France
• Canada
• Brazil
• Spain
• Slovakia
• Czech Republic
• Hungary

Unilever Philippines is taking part in the contest, so it is definite that in 2014, a Filipino will be space-bound. The Philippine contest will officially be launched today, Thursday, January 10 at 6pm in White Space Makati. "It would be one of the most historic marketing campaigns ever launched in the country," said a statement from Unilever Philippines.

How to join - According to them, the selection process will consist of several stages and challenges designed to determine who the best person is for the job of "First Filipino Astronaut."

The first step? Sign up for the mission at www.AxeApollo.com. A maximum of 10,000 Filipino passport holders will eventually be invited to go through a series of challenges, from which two people will be selected to undergo training at the Axe Apollo Global Space Camp in Orlando, Florida.

After spending some time in space camp, one of the two Filipino representatives will be handed the mission to go where no Filipino has gone before. "The program we've launched is an opportunity for our great nation to join the global community in taking the next big leap. We're very excited to meet the first Pinoy astronaut. It could be anyone," says Gem Laforteza, Axe brand manager in the Philippines.

While this may be the first time for a Filipino to go into space, Pinoys have long been making their mark in space exploration. In fact, Filipinos play key roles in various space-related projects and missions in NASA.

Some of the Filipino achievers working in the most well-known space agency are Filipino-American engineer Gregory Villar, and Lloyd Manglapus. Both are working in various capacities on the Mars mission Curiosity rover. Another Pinoy in NASA, Dr. Ralph Basilio, is the lead person behind NASA's carbon dioxide research in space.

Source: GMA News and Rappler