Engineering award winner Flight Lieutenant Reece Lumsden's ambition is to become an astronaut. Photo by CPL Mark Eaton, 1JPAU(P)

FRESH from winning a top engineering award, Flight Lieutenant Reece Lumsden now believes the sky's the limit - literally.

FLTLT Lumsden, 27, has been named the ACT Young Professional Engineer of the Year, an honour that he hopes will help him realise his ultimate goal of becoming an astronaut.

To be eligible for the award, nominees had to be under 30 and a member of the Institute of Engineers.

FLTLT Lumsden's application comprised a CV detailing his work experience and achievements, and a short essay on an engineering topic of his choice.

He submitted a piece on the recent discovery of Optical Teleportation, focusing on its applications in the real world.

The essay clearly impressed the judges, but FLTLT Lumsden's long list of achievements and experience would have also turned heads.

In 1999-2000, he attended the International Space University in Strasbourg, initially taking leave without pay before the Air Force contributed some financial assistance.

"The Air force has helped me a lot," FLTLT Lumsden said.

At the Space University he met Australian astronaut Andy Thomas, an event that helped spark his burning desire to become an astronaut.

He then went on to do his thesis for his Masters at the NASA Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, where he worked on advanced life support systems for human missions to Mars and gained even more of a fascination for space.

More recently, he has been involved in a host of important projects at home, including the Global Hawk trials.

His long-term goal, however, remains space travel and he has formulated a 20-year plan to become an astronaut.

To get a foot in the door, FLTLT Lumsden will have to compete with 4000 fellow applicants for the 20 positions that become available every two years.

Astronauts have to be American citizens, be employed by NASA and have the right experience and education.

"Most applicants have their PhDs. I've got my Masters at the moment so that's something I want to expand on," he said.

FLTLT Lumsden wants to be a mission specialist, which is a non-pilot astronaut.
"Well-rounded generalists - that's what they're looking for."

By Ben Caddaye