Alexi Made It!

 

Alexi was born back in 2003. Unlike many Rocket Team astronauts, he really didn't think about becoming a space explorer when he was young. He wanted to live in the wilderness like an aborigine instead.

He joined scouts and other camping/hiking clubs. He built his own shelters from natural materials. Eventually, he started traveling for many days with very little food or equipment; his survival expertise was almost as complete as a brown bear's.

One day, he found a lost and injured hiker by accident. He helped her to safety, and began to realize he needed to know more about medicine and emergency medical care.

He took a few first-aid classes at a community college and decided he really liked it. Over time, he received several certifications for First Aid, Wilderness Rescue, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

Then, when he was middle-aged, he saw a Rocket Team advertisement for EMTs needed on the moon. Still, the idea didn't grab him, even though he was qualified.  He didn't want to be stuck in a cramped moon base.

But something did grab him.

That same day, not an hour later, he saw how Rocket Team Lunar Surface Explorer (LSE) teams travel all over the lunar wilderness, visiting places no human has ever seen, self-sufficient for many days.

And the button got pushed in his brain. Now THIS was wilderness exploration in a way he had never imagined!

Even though he was 25 years older than most candidates, he applied to the Rocket Team EMT/LSE program and started a whole new kind of training. It took a few years to get all his spacewalking training and lunar backcountry experience, but he finally finished in time for his 57th birthday.

That sounds old. But he never gave up, and that's all that matters in most areas of life.