As the Artemis II Orion capsule closed in on its planned lunar fly-by, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen linked up with home base, answering questions from journalists gathered in the middle of the night at the Canadian Space Agency in Longueuil, Quebec.
“Gosh, our first day in space, we saw some extraordinary things up close and by the time we had a bit of a nap and we got up, the earth was far away again,” Hansen told CTV News from nearly 190,000 km away.
Hansen is riding along with three American astronauts – Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch, who have been testing equipment and procedures.
NASA says the crew is now fully prepared to head further into deep space than any other humans have ever ventured. If all goes according to meticulously drawn plans, they will be observing the dark side of the moon by Monday afternoon.
“They will be slowly cruising by the far-side of the moon, and they will see an ‘earthrise,’” says Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques. “That will be an incredible moment for them.”
The crew has also added a side-quest to the mission: they have enjoyed maple cookies but are yet to find maple syrup from Quebec they know is somewhere on board.
The crew was asked whether as the lone Canadian on board, Hansen was being teased up in space.
“It’s been hard to make fun of him because even though he is Canadian, and a first-time flier, he makes it look so easy. He is doing so well,” said Glover.
“It has been an incredible experience for me to leave the earth to ride that incredible rocket with my American colleagues,” added Hansen. “It is such an extraordinary example of collaboration, of what we achieve when we set big goals and work together.”
The Canadian Space Agency also says the launch of the Artemis II mission has prompted many across the country to look up the moon and see it in a different light, as they follow the mission online.
“We are seeing massive engagement across the country, and it is good news about international collaboration,” says the President of the Canadian Space Agency Lisa Campbell. “You see what happens when you bring the best of humanity together.”
Hansen has promised there will be spectacular photographs taken during his space voyage, that he will share with Canadians back home on earth.
“I just want to remind Canadians that if we can send a human around the moon in 2026, just imagine what we can do in the future,” he said.
