{"id":213584,"date":"2025-10-15T00:41:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T00:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/213584\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T00:41:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T00:41:21","slug":"19-wing-welcomes-dr-jenni-gibbons-canadian-space-agency-astronaut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/213584\/","title":{"rendered":"19 Wing welcomes Dr. Jenni Gibbons, Canadian Space Agency astronaut"},"content":{"rendered":"

October\u00a014,\u00a02025 – Royal Canadian Air Force<\/a><\/p>\n

Estimated read time \u2013 2:45<\/p>\n

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\nCaption<\/p>\n

Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Dr.\u00a0Jenni Gibbons is briefed on the hoisting operations in a CH-149\u00a0Cormorant helicopter during her visit to 19\u00a0Wing Comox, B.C. on September\u00a08.<\/p>\n

Photo: S1\u00a0Brendan Gibson, Canadian Armed Forces.<\/p>\n

In preparation for her role as a backup astronaut for the upcoming NASA Artemis II mission to orbit the moon, Canadian Space Agency\u00a0(CSA) astronaut Dr.\u00a0Jenni Gibbons trained with 442\u00a0Transport and Rescue Squadron at 19\u00a0Wing Comox.<\/p>\n

From September\u00a08 to\u00a012, Dr.\u00a0Gibbons integrated high-intensity search and rescue\u00a0(SAR) training into her astronaut preparation. While at 19\u00a0Wing Comox, she trained alongside Royal Canadian Air Force\u00a0(RCAF) SAR technicians, pilots, and flight engineers, learning how crews manage complex helicopters, coordinate crews in tightly confined spaces, and deliver lifesaving care under extreme conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraining with the SAR community is an opportunity to simulate scenarios that mirror the challenges of spaceflight,\u201d said Dr.\u00a0Gibbons. \u201cWe call it the \u2018operator mindset\u2019\u2014a critical asset for astronauts expected to operate advanced systems, manage cognitive loads, and respond to emergencies in cramped quarters. The folks at 442\u00a0Squadron live this mindset every day, and there\u2019s a lot to learn from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nCaption<\/p>\n

Canadian Space Agency Astronaut, Dr.\u00a0Jenni Gibbons and Canadian Space Agency, Canadian Astronaut Coordination Officer, Capt\u00a0Erin Edwards, are briefed on medical procedures by Search and Rescue Technicians at 442\u00a0Squadron during her visit in 19\u00a0Wing Comox, B.C. on September\u00a08.<\/p>\n

Photo: S1\u00a0Brendan Gibson, Canadian Armed Forces.<\/p>\n

19\u00a0Wing Comox, home to much of Canada\u2019s SAR training, offered the ideal setting for the best practices exchange.<\/p>\n

On September\u00a09, Dr.\u00a0Gibbons joined 442\u00a0Squadron on a real-world MEDEVAC of a patient from the MS Queen Elizabeth cruise ship 20\u00a0kilometers west of Nootka Island. Flying aboard the CH-149\u00a0Cormorant helicopter, she observed firsthand the coordination between SAR Technicians and aircrew as they delivered in-flight medical care.<\/p>\n

For the squadron, the visit offered a unique glimpse into the future of space exploration\u2014and a chance to contribute directly to Canada\u2019s role in the Artemis II program.<\/p>\n

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\nCaption<\/p>\n

Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Dr.\u00a0Jenni Gibbons practices intravenous procedures while flying in a CH-149\u00a0Cormorant during her visit to 19\u00a0Wing Comox, B.C. on September\u00a08.<\/p>\n

Photo: Aviator\u00a0Zhi Sheng Lin, Canadian Armed Forces.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, Jenni trained with the RCAF at 3\u00a0Canadian Forces Flying Training School to learn rotary-wing flying, so it was great to build on that foundation here at 19\u00a0Wing,\u201d said Captain\u00a0(Capt) Matt Welsh from 442\u00a0Squadron. \u201cThis phase of training focused less on flying technique and more on how teams operate\u201d<\/p>\n

Capt\u00a0Erin Edwards, the 3\u00a0Canadian Space Division Astronaut Coordination Officer from the Johnson Space Center is responsible for ensuring the coordination and execution of all astronaut training prior to assignment.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimilar to the military, we lean forward into training to make sure it makes sense for the mission which is changing from space station ops to lunar ops. Leveraging assets and knowledge we have available on Earth that are a close analog to the stresses and challenges we see in space flight while building upon the fantastic training that astronauts receive, makes this type of collaboration with the RCAF incredibly valuable. It\u2019s cool to see how things that don\u2019t seem related can benefit outside of regular spheres. Jenni and the astronaut corps also have a lot to pass on to us in the CAF about how to handle unique pressures and working as members of incredibly complex and globally integrated teams. It\u2019s a win-win, for sure,\u201d said Capt\u00a0Edwards.<\/p>\n

Dr.\u00a0Gibbons, a mechanical engineer and former Cambridge assistant professor, was selected by the CSA in\u00a02017, currently serving as the Canadian backup astronaut for Artemis II. The mission will see RCAF Colonel\u00a0(Col) and CSA Astronaut Jeremy Hansen become the first Canadian to travel beyond low Earth orbit\u2014an historic milestone for Canada\u2019s space program. As Col\u00a0Hansen\u2019s designated backup, Dr.\u00a0Gibbons plays a critical role in mission readiness and continuity, and her training reflects the same high standards and operational demands.<\/p>\n

Next, Dr.\u00a0Gibbons will return to Houston and continue preparations for launch of the Artemis II Mission<\/a> that is scheduled to launch between February and April\u00a02026.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"October\u00a014,\u00a02025 – Royal Canadian Air Force Estimated read time \u2013 2:45 Caption Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Dr.\u00a0Jenni Gibbons…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":213585,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[34327,49,48,307,103597,84827,66,306],"class_list":["post-213584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-aerospace","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nasa","tag-rcaf","tag-royal-canadian-air-force","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}