As southwestern Ontario native Jeremy Hansen prepares to become the first Canadian astronaut to fly to the moon, residents from his hometown will proudly cheer him on.
Hansen, originally from Ailsa Craig, northwest of London, will be part of NASA’s Artemis II mission which could be off to space in as little as one week. The mission will make Canada the second country in the world to send a human into deep space.
Artemis II will send Hansen and his American crewmates around the far side of the moon, to go farther into deep space than any human has ever gone before.
“It’s going to be a huge moment,” said Gordon Osinski, a professor of earth sciences at Western University. “I think it will go right up there in the history of the Canadian Space Program.”
During the 10-day trip, the crew will gather scientific data to test the limits of their rocket and their own human endurance to prepare for future moon missions, including Artemis III, which will see astronauts actually landing on the moon.
As of now, the earliest opportunity for launch is Feb. 8, but the exact date will depend on weather conditions.
Hansen’s historic achievements have touched many in the London-area. From the student body of his alma mater, to a local singer and a Western University geologist, here’s how the community has been preparing for the launch.
A local Ingersoll hero
Current students and staff at Hansen’s former high school, Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute (IDCI) will be following the mission closely.
“The school is over the moon,” that one of their alumni is heading to space, said Phil Raven, head of the English Department.
“We had to do something big, something Hansen would notice. The excitement has been infectious.”
One of the school’s first ideas dates back to 2023, when Hansen’s involvement in the mission was announced. They took a drone shot of all students on the field in the shape of the moon with stars around it.
Copies of the photo were shared with Hansen and in return, he sent them a signed photo of himself with a message for the students. They’re hoping he will take a copy of the school photo on the mission, Raven said.
Raven and fellow teacher Jennifer Rowe have also started the Artemis IDCI Explorers Club to cheer on their local hero.
The club has also built a Lego set of the Artemis rocket together and created a social media account to keep students up to date on the mission.
“I’m convinced he will come to IDCI,” Raven said. “The day he does, I think we will all just be in awe that we are in the same room. It will very much feel like we were all part of this in a way.”
Musician dedicates song to Hansen
London-based musician Emm Gryner has created a song called “Touch the Sky” celebrating Hansen’s upcoming space flight. The idea came about after she befriended Hansen’s wife Catherine, a few years ago.
She wanted to create something “anthemic,” she said, explaining that the song touches on the couple’s close relationship and Hansen’s upbringing in Ailsa Craig, she said.
“We drew the parallel between Jeremy picking up rocks on the farmland, and now going to this rock (the moon),” she said. “How it all starts in this place of innocence and dreaming.”
“I’m hoping that people get a lift from it and feel hopeful. It’s not a particularly hopeful time in the world.”
The Hansens got back to Gryner and her team right away to say they loved the song and told her they danced to it together, she said.
WATCH | Emm Gryner’s “Touch the Sky”:
A front-row seat at the launch
Western professor, Osinski, met Hansen 15 years ago on their expedition to the Canadian Arctic together. The goal was to provide Hansen with further geological training than the basics he learned during the astronaut selection process, Osinski said.
Osinski will get a front-row seat to the launch in Florida, when it happens — the Canadian Space Agency invited him for a behind-the-scenes viewing.
It will be his first time seeing a mission launch, he said.
“I’m going to be fairly close to the launch and hopefully watching Jeremy and his colleagues go off on the way to the moon,” he said. It’s exciting, but it’s nerve wracking too. No space mission is without risk.”
But Osinski’s space connection doesn’t end there. He is also the only Canadian on the science team for the Artemis III mission, and is the principal investigator for Canada’s first lunar rover mission.
The success of Artemis II will have a major impact on the work he is doing for the next mission, he said.
“It’s a standalone mission, but it is absolutely critical for Artemis III and beyond. We cannot understate that.”
