Canadian Space Lesson Precedes a Historic Mission
As Canada gears up for a milestone in space exploration, Jeremy Hansen sat with a group of curious Grade 5 and 6 students from St. Jude Elementary School on Montreal’s South Shore. The occasion was not a launch date or a technical briefing, but a chance for the next generation to ask questions about Artemis 2 and what it means for humanity’s journey back to the Moon. Hansen, a veteran Canadian astronaut, spoke candidly about fear, courage, and the careful planning that underpins every mission to deep space.
From the halls of the Canadian Space Agency in Longueuil, Quebec, Hansen shared a mix of optimism and realism. He acknowledged that the unknowns of space travel can be scary, but underscored a philosophy that guides his team: trust in preparation and trust in teammates.
Facing the Unknown With Preparation and Purpose
“What helps me with that is that I have learned to trust myself and to trust others,” Hansen told the students. He reminded them that any space mission carries risk. “There is no guarantee of the outcome: you can die in space just like you can die here on Earth, but what I do believe is that we have been very smart about our approach.”
The Artemis 2 crew, which includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, is scheduled to embark on a roughly 10-day lunar flyby aboard the Orion spacecraft named “Integrity.” This mission marks the first crewed trip around the Moon since the last Apollo mission in 1972 and would make Hansen the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit. The voyage stands as a crucial stepping-stone toward more ambitious goals, including a future crewed lunar landing and the broader vision for human exploration of Mars.
What Artemis 2 Aims to Prove (and What It Means for Canada)
Hansen described Artemis 2 as a testing ground for systems, procedures, and international cooperation. The mission will test life-support, navigation, communications, and safety contingencies under real space conditions. While the most likely end scenario is a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, the mission’s true value lies in learning, refining operations, and establishing a sustained cadence of exploration.
Canada’s role in Artemis 2 and beyond is reinforced by its ongoing partnership with NASA and its historical contributions, including the Canadarm family of robotic systems. Hansen emphasized that Canada earned its spot not merely through technology but through vision and ambition. The program aligns with Canada’s goals to bolster scientific leadership and contribute to a broader, international effort to advance human spaceflight.
A Managed Path Forward: From the Moon to a Lunar Gateway
NASA has mapped a broader sequence: Artemis 3 aims to land astronauts at the Moon’s South Pole for the first time in more than five decades, while Artemis 4 focuses on assembling a Gateway lunar outpost that would orbit the Moon and support longer-term exploration. Canadian robotics play a role in this future, with Canadarm 3 anticipated to be part of the evolving orbital infrastructure.
Hansen cautioned that sustaining a presence on or around the Moon requires solving supply challenges in cramped spacecraft and developing new life-support and storage strategies for longer missions. “If the objective is to go to the Moon and stay there, the distance is a thousand times farther than the International Space Station,” he explained. “If humanity aims to go to Mars, that distance is another thousand times further than the Moon.”
Inspiration for the Next Generation
Beyond the technical talk, the session with the students highlighted a central mission: inspiring young minds to imagine what is possible when science, education, and curiosity converge. When a child asked about the possibility of food shortages on a spaceflight, Hansen offered a light-hearted glance before turning back to the serious point: meticulous planning matters, and neglected logistics can derail even the most noble objectives. “If we get to space and the food’s not loaded, that was a big oversight and we’re in big trouble,” he joked, drawing smiles from the classroom and underscoring the human side of spaceflight planning.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly joined Hansen at the briefing, signaling continued government support for science, technology, and national security in an era of evolving threats, health challenges, and climate-related disasters. The public discussions reflect a broader intent: to prepare Canada for a future where space exploration remains a catalyst for scientific discovery, education, and international collaboration.
With Artemis 2 approaching, Hansen’s intimate conversation with young students serves as a reminder that every leap into the unknown rests on a foundation of careful preparation, shared expertise, and a willingness to assume calculated risks for the sake of human progress.
