It Takes a Team to Select an Astronaut
Major Lenora Collins, LCol Joy Klammer, Mr. Pat Gagnon, & Mr. Karl Saad, Canadian
Armed Forces, Canada
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Department of National Defence (DND) are
navigating through the challenges of intergovernmental collaboration while working on the highly
visible Canadian astronaut selection project. Given the size of the Canadian astronaut program,
selecting the right candidates is critical in order to maximize Canadian participation on all
available space flight opportunities. Announced in June of 2016, the Canadian astronaut
selection campaign attracted 3,772 applicants. This pool must eventually be reduced to
approximately 40 candidates who will be invited to attend a series of assessment centres in
order to select personnel to fill the final two coveted positions.
Astronaut selection is unique in a number of respects: (1) the job itself is inherently complex,
filled with competing physical, psychological and cognitive demands; (2) candidates who are
selected become proficient in the technical aspects of the job and must not simply be jacks of all
trades, but masters of all trades; (3) those who are selected will serve as highly visible role
models who must be savvy across all aspects of social media; (4) Canadian astronauts must
meet the selection criteria for both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
and for the CSA; (5) the number of subject matter experts (SMEs) from whom to draw on to
develop a strong selection process is incredibly small; and (6) selection is a rare opportunity that
only occurs every seven to ten years. Each of these factors brings with it a number of distinct
challenges that must be overcome.
Sharing the common goal of developing a series of assessment centres to select Canada’s best
for the CSA ensures that the challenges encountered when working collaboratively with other
government departments are carefully considered from a variety of perspectives. Challenges can
come in many different forms. They can be minor in nature (i.e., the logistics involved when
planning a meeting, the scheduling of SMEs around NASA and CSA training, the very small
numbers of SMEs, etc.) or more demanding (i.e., combining a physical task analysis with a more
traditional job analysis, balancing the intense fitness requirements with the psychological and
cognitive demands when developing simulation exercises, pairing the need for media exposure
with the need for guarding the selection process, etc.). Finally, perhaps the greatest challenge is
understanding that although cooperation between government departments is critical, it cannot
come at the expense of compromising either the Guidelines and Ethical Considerations for
Assessment Center Operations (International Taskforce on Assessment Center Guidelines,
2015), or legal defensibility. Every challenge, no matter how great or small, comes with a
learning opportunity. Capturing these lessons will provide a framework for future selection
design.
This presentation will examine the challenges of developing a series of assessment centres for a
high profile position (astronaut), and discuss the lessons learned while achieving this task with
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multiple government agencies.
Major Lenora Collins completed her BSc in Psychology at Memorial University of
Newfoundland and her MSc in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Saint Mary’s University. A
currently serving member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Major Collins works as a
Personnel Selection Officer (PSO). As a PSO, she has extensive experience in the fields of
selection, recruiting, strategic planning, and currently as a researcher for the Selection and
Assessment Team at the Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis. Her
research interests span assessment centres, job analyses, leadership, thriving and resilience.
Lieutenant Colonel (LCol) Joy Klammer completed her BA in Psychology at Simon Fraser
University, her MSc in Industrial/Organizational/Ergonomic Psychology at The University of
Calgary, and her PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at the University of Western
Ontario. A currently serving member of the CAF, LCol Klammer worked as an Air Navigator for a
number of years before becoming a PSO. As a PSO, she has been engaged in a number of
roles, including teaching at the Royal Military College of Canada and working as a research
officer. In this latter role, she designed, validated, revised and implemented selection systems for
specialized, high-risk employment. She currently leads a team of diverse researchers
responsible for research related to Selection and Assessment for the CAF. Her research
interests span assessment centres, selection for teams, resilience, trust, and leadership.
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© 40 International Congress on Assessment Center Methods