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The great space race The sky is the limit
for former Inuvik resident
Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, August 8, 2013
INUVIK
If you ever wanted proof that Inuvik residents can shoot for the stars, look no further than Cassandra Kirk.
Former Inuvik resident Cassandra Kirk is looking to join her idol, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, in space. This photo with a cardboard cutout was a prelude to meeting him a few minutes later. - photo courtesy of Cassandra Kirk
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The former Inuvik resident credits her time in the North for an obsession to be the next "Captain Kirk."
Now living in Alberta, Kirk is vying for a spot on a trip that's out of this world.
"The contest that could send me to space is hosted by Axe body spray, the men’s fragrance brand," she said. "They came out with a new line of body wash/spray called Axe Apollo and have teamed up with a commercial space flight company to send 22 (people) on their own individual flight into space to promote their new line.
"In the first stage of the competition, contestants who have registered for the contest must earn the support and votes of as many people as possible at the website’s leader boards. The top two people in Canada, and in each country, with the most votes by Aug. 31 will be sent to Florida to a space camp where they will compete mentally and physically in Stage 2 against the other winners from Stage 1 for the coveted trip to space."
Kirk has fond memories of her time here in Inuvik.
"My family and I lived in Inuvik until I was about eight years old," she said. "I haven’t had the chance to come back yet, but I've always wanted to come visit and see how much of it I can remember. I remember the Igloo Church, my school, how the sloped street I lived on is where I learned to ride a bike – and to not let go of the handles. Most of all I remember the people.
"Even though I was young, I can still remember my preschool teacher, Patti J. Male, who has actually kept in contact with me since learning of the contest. I remember Floyd Roland whose office I still have a postcard of, plus a NWT flag, after winning a drawing contest depicting Sir Alexander Mackenzie School with contrasting seasons. They are the ones I have to thank for sparking my interest in school at such a young age."
Kirk said the trip "includes being flown 103 kilometres into space in a reusable space craft that takes off much like a jet."
Life-long dream
"Ever since I was five years old I’ve wanted to be an astronaut, and that hasn’t changed," she said. "When I lived in Inuvik with my family, my dad and I would fall asleep looking at the stars on our front lawn. The dark skies in winter made it perfect for stargazing. When I was in seventh grade, I won an essay contest to meet the first Canadian female astronaut, Roberta Bondar. Her stories of floating through space and seeing the Earth from a completely different perspective really set something off in me, and I’ve been determined to become an astronaut since."
Since beginning the competition, Kirk has won a Twitter contest put on by the University of Calgary to meet Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
"He spoke in front of hundreds, in his first public speaking since returning from space, about the benefits of space travel and what it means for us as humans in the future," she said. "As I get older and learn more and more about space travel, the idea of what it means to me changes and evolves, but never falters. I would love to become a part of history and impact our future as a species and our planet as a whole through work as an astronaut studying life in space."
She's been hyping the contest on various media ever since she entered it.
"I’ve been featured on CTV Morning Live, on various radio stations and in various newspapers. More recently, I’ve taken a lesson from Chris Hadfield and posted a video called 'Cups – Astronaut Edition' on YouTube, a space-themed parody of the Cups song. It has gotten over 1,000 views in two days and quite a few votes, so I’ll be coming up with more videos to help with the campaign."
Currently, she's ranked 28th out of over 10,000 people registered for the contest.
"I need to get into spot one or two by Aug. 31 to advance to the next stage of the contest which takes place in December," she said.
To vote, visit the Axe Apollo website.
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