Canadian astronaut hopes to fly in next five years (Video)

Living in a strange environment is just a typical day for Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

NASA has said that no Canadians will be travelling to the International Space Station anytime soon because all flights are booked through to the end of 2016.

But an opportunity could open up in 2019-2020 — and Jeremy Hansen is making sure he’s ready.

Jeremy Hansen has taken part in geological expeditions in the High Arctic, and spent days in underground caves to prepare himself for space travel.

For the past week he’s been living in Aquarius, an undersea laboratory off Key Largo, Florida, where conditions are designed to mimic a space environment.

Hansen, who was a fighter pilot before entering the space program, predicts a bright future for Canadians in space.

He notes that for the first time in history, commercial companies like Space-X in the United States are building rockets that will make space travel accessible to a lot more people.

Agencies/Canadajournal