Mankind is about to make a second giant leap next year, thanks to the Artemis II program that will see Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen catapulted around the moon at 38 times the speed of sound. His mission will prepare the way for future manned missions to earth’s natural satellite.
On the morning of Feb. 9, Hansen made a personal visit to A.E. Peacock Collegiate, which was simultaneously live streamed to a modest crowd at the Moose Jaw Public Library.
Here, Hansen spoke about his upcoming nine-day test mission where the Canadian astronaut will join a crew of NASA astronauts including Christina Hammock Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman.
“Thousands of people… realized how we can use space to help Canadians do things like communicate, live better on this planet, (and) create all these solutions…,” he said.
“We (as Canadians) earned our spot here. It’s a huge compliment to Canada, and I’m so proud.”
Hansen also spoke about the value of setting goals and following through, even as – in the case of the multiple early SpaceX Falcon rocket test failures – we may face early adversity.
Hansen was always intrigued by aircraft and recalled borrowing “Encyclopedia A” from the library when he was younger. One day he opened the book on an entry for “(Neil) Armstrong.” This would be his first time learning about space, and he was instantly captivated.
“It blew my mind. What? People went to the moon and came back?” he said. “I got to work right away. I changed my treehouse into a spaceship.”
Born in London, Ont. in 1976, Hansen joined the 614 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron where his first journey into aviation began. At the age of 16 he earned his glider pilot wings, and he later graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1999.
In 2003, Hansen completed his CF-18 Fighter Pilot Training, and served as a fighter pilot until 2009.
He then graduated from Astronaut Candidate Training in 2011, and in 2017 he became the first Canadian to lead a NASA astronaut class. In 2023 Hansen was officially assigned to the Artemis II mission.
“I always had that at the back of my head – I’d like to go to space,” he said.
Now he’s slated to be the first of several Canadians involved in a lunar mission.
Hansen said the space program is valuable because it helps solve problems back here on earth. One of these problems is growing food in Canada’s far north, which has important ties to Indigenous culture.
Kamestastin Lake in northern Labrador is an important place. Viewed as a sacred site, the lake formed when a meteorite impacted with the earth, creating conditions similar to those seen on the moon. Because of this, the CSA uses this site – in collaboration with Indigenous peoples – for training.
“What’s special about it from a scientific point of view is that it has a special rock type called an Anorthosite. It turns out the south pole of the moon is largely formed by Anorthosites,” he explained.
“(The Indigenous people) will train astronauts of the future and make sure we can pick the right rocks for science and understand what we are collecting…”
One highlight of his visit was a four-day vision quest in isolation that impacted him greatly. This Indigenous teaching reflected the isolated conditions Hansen will experience in his upcoming spaceflight.
An Indigenous artist, Henry Guimond of Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, also designed Hansen’s mission badge. Seven animals each bring a unique meaning, and Hansen drew special attention to the beaver.
The beaver, he said, is unique because its continuously growing teeth are used to cut down trees and build dams, thereby helping itself and others to thrive.
“(If) it doesn’t use its gift, its teeth grow and eventually it won’t be able to open its mouth and it will die,” Hansen explained.
“It’s a reminder to us that, in every single person, there is a special gift,” he said. “Your purpose in life is to find that gift, and to contribute it to the world (and) to society to make it better.
“If you don’t use your gift you won’t die, like the beaver. But if you don’t use your gift, you will not be happy, and you will not find your meaning and purpose in life.”
To find that gift, his suggestion was to listen to your mentors. “You’ll know it when you find it, because you will be filled with energy; you’ll want to keep working on whatever it is you’re doing.”
For more information about the Canadian Space Agency or the Artemis II mission, visit asc-csa.gc.ca.
Hansen’s mission to the moon is anticipated to take place no sooner than September 2025.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
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