‘He is just a great guy to hang out with … When he became an astronaut, we all knew he was going to do great things,’ Barrie Fire Chief says of brother-in-law Jeremy Hansen
Dinners around the White family table are going to be pretty interesting for a while — after all, it’s not every day your brother‑in‑law comes home with stories from outer space.
But that’s the new normal for Barrie Fire Chief Kevin White, whose family just happens to include Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean this evening, off the coast of California, after spending 10 days as part of NASA’s lunar flyby mission.
It’s a casual little detail that’s guaranteed to raise the bar on small talk the next time the family gets together, he says.
Hansen is serving as the mission specialist for Artemis II and is the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
White’s sister, Catherine, has been married to Hansen for 23 years, having met in Moose Jaw, Sask., when she went to watch her brother get his Air Force pilot wings, the chief recalled.
White, along with his mother and wife, had the chance to watch the space shuttle launch live at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1 — an experience he described as “incredible.”
He’s spent the past week following the mission as closely as possible, noting it’s been remarkable to watch someone he cares about achieve a lifelong dream in such a spectacular way.
“He’s so happy there. He really is living his dream,” White said. “We are certainly transfixed to the TV when we can be. I try to block it out from my work day and then when I get home I put it on and I see how far away they are from the Earth and the moon.”
White is particularly impressed with the level of communication that has been shared from the capsule over the course of the mission.
“We have been able to see lots of live feeds with them, which makes you feel super close to them, although they are hundreds of thousands of miles away,” White said.
“He is always smiling and he is just so excited. He’s such a great gentleman and such a normal human, so for us to have him as a family member — and see how happy he is there — is really what makes it all super special.”
Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen poses inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2023. | NASA/Kim Shiflett photo
White says when he spoke with Hansen before the launch, he seemed to be in good spirits and laser-focused on the mission ahead.
“I asked him what he was looking forward to when he returned and he was mostly just looking forward to the mission itself, but (he) was feeling strong and ready to go.”
That response, White said, didn’t come as a surprise, given his brother‑in‑law has been training for this moment since 2009.
“He has been very excited for this to come to fruition,” he added.
Even with what were surely his own pre‑launch nerves, Hansen still managed to calm his family’s anxiety, White said.
“He did give us one tip, which was that it will look like the entire rocket is on fire. He said that’s OK, because in about six or eight seconds, the rocket takes off and hopefully everything goes smooth — which it did.”
When White spoke with Hansen ahead of the launch, he said the astronaut was particularly excited that he and his crewmates — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch — were about to travel farther than any human ever has.
“That is pretty far — over 400,000 kilometres away. He’s going to travel a little more than one million kilometres in 10 days … at an incredible speed. That’s really hard to fathom for us humans on Earth,” White said.
The crew aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft is scheduled to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down at about 8:07 p.m. our time (5:07 p.m. PDT) tonight off the coast of San Diego.
Once recovered, they’ll be transported to a nearby base for medical checks and debriefings before returning to Ground Control in Texas, where Catherine and Hansen’s parents will be waiting to greet the now-famous Canadian.
When he finally gets the chance to talk to Hansen after the mission, White said his first question will be simple: How much fun did you have?
“I know what his answer is going to be. I know this is his dream and he’s absolutely been able to live that out, which is pretty exciting for anyone, but when you see his face on the TV, he is just so happy all of the time,” said White. “I think that’s one thing that is really cool.”
Ultimately, however, for White, what stands out most about Hansen isn’t the astronaut training, the historic mission or the staggering distances he’s travelled; it’s the person underneath the spacesuit.
Long before the launch, he said, Hansen was simply a grounded, genuine, family‑focused guy who just happened to be brilliant enough to blast into space.
“He is really a very normal person. He’s a great person to be around and he’s an excellent family man. He is just a great guy to hang out with and, obviously, he is super smart. When he became an astronaut, we all knew he was going to do great things,” said White.
“I also think he’s a great spokesperson for all of Canada. He’s done a great job in all of his interviews leading up to it, and I know he will continue to do a great job speaking on behalf of Canadians and his mission.”
With about 24 hours left until Hansen and his fellow crew members return to Earth, White said the family is riding out the final stretch with a mix of relief, anticipation and, yes, some nerves.
“It’s an emotional roller-coaster. I know when we were heading to the launch, we weren’t sure if we were supposed to celebrate or cry, or what to do in that moment. You’re strapping yourself to a rocket and it’s a very dangerous mission, but it went successfully, and still, fingers crossed, is going quite well.”
Artemis II crew members Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Hammock Koch and Jeremy Hansen inspect their Orion crew module inside the high bay of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Aug. 7, 2023. | NASA/Kim Shiflett photo