Another Monkey sent in to space?

The astronauts aboard the shuttle know there is a 1 in 200 chance of 'failure' yet they are happy to go, as I would be also.

We have only scratched the surface of what there is to learn in space. The practicality of current missions might be questionable to some - as many no doubt questioned the enormous expense of 'exploration' five centuries ago also.

Amen, Brett. If I thought I could make a useful contribution as an astronaut, I'd be there myself. Maybe once the commercial passenger trade gets more established, I might be able to find that way.

In the meantime, I'll gladly cheer on whoever signs up with the Canadian Space Agency's astronaut corps.

And what exactly will these new astronauts be doing? Not flying in space: the shuttle retires a year after theyre hired. The ISS still only has a crew of three (with only one to two non-Russians going up every 6 months). Oh, and there are 150 trained astronauts already at NASA, with many that havent had their chance to fly.

Could this be the new astronaut corps for the Moon? That's not likely either: 2020 (as a minimum) is a long time to wait to do your job!

Too bad you have to be a US citizen.