First Juan dela Cruz in Space

We have this Filipino pride that keeps us tracking the “First Filipino” to achieve something worthy of international attention. Like we all take pride to know who is the first Filipino Ms. Universe, first Filipino Olympic silver medalist, first Filipino world champion boxer to win eight divisions, and so on and so forth.

But we are all still waiting for the first Filipino to get an Olympic gold medal and of course the first Filipino Astronaut, every little kids dream – to become an astronaut.

Will we see them in our lifetime?

As for the Olympic gold medal, I can’t tell. But for the first Filipino astronaut, that could come very soon. AXE Apollo Program will be launching a search for the First Pinoy Astronaut. Yes, that is AXE – the brand of a male grooming of product that when you use can hypnotize lots of women to come dashing after you (or so the commercial puts it). Now not only they can drive these women crazy for you, they can now also send you to space to get away from all these women running after you.( hmm.. that would have been a good TV commercial idea) 

AXE Apollo Program have prepared a slot for one Filipino astronaut who will go with the group of 22 ordinary men from around the globe to travel to space. This program will be launched with Buzz Aldrin in (what seemed to me a not so very brassy) promotional video.

According to AXE website, interested applicants will have to sign up here. 100 initial contestant will be chosen from online voting. The 100 candidates will be sent to a 3-day space camp where they will have to pass fitness test. And those who will pass these tests will join the real astronaut training for the second half of 2014 when the lucky Pinoy will join 22 other people to go to space and eventually join a group 529 men and women astronaut in this elite group.

These is probably the biggest shot to have one Filipino to go space. Because the only other alternative is have one to get one in to space programs of other countries, since we can’t afford to put up our own. But even that latter idea seems to be even far fetch (even if we are good in sending Pinoy workers around the planet), since Filipinos are not much into this science and even if there are a handlful few, there will always be some Indian, Chinese, or Japanese guy that is more qualified to become part of these space programs.

I will register myself. But not to expect much, every Filipino out there who can catch this news will probably be applying for the heck of it. And not to expect much about the space travel itself, it’s not going to be like a moon mission or least even a space-walk, it will be like boarding an aircraft and getting it off really high up there. After all you just  need to go as high as 100 kilometers up there to be called an astronaut.