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<\/p>\nJeremy Hansen is on the cusp of embarking on a historic deep space mission to the moon, admitting to some inquisitive students Thursday that while the unknowns present a scary prospect, some risks are worth it.<\/p>\n
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Hansen was asked about his fears as he took questions from Grade 5 and 6 students from St. Jude Elementary School on Montreal\u2019s South Shore about the\u00a0Artemis\u00a02 mission around the moon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat helps me with that is that I have learned to trust myself and to trust others,\u201d Hansen, 49, of London, Ont., said at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Longueuil, Que.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I have 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Canadian and his NASA astronaut crewmates could launch their roughly 10-day sojourn around the moon and back as early as February 2026.<\/p>\n
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The first crewed mission of the\u00a0Artemis\u00a0program is also the first mission to the moon by astronauts since the last Apollo mission in 1972 and is also Hansen\u2019s first-ever mission in space.<\/p>\n
Hansen would become the first non-American to travel beyond the lower Earth orbit.<\/p>\n
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The team, which includes veteran NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, have been training for more than two years and will travel aboard the Orion spacecraft they\u2019ve named \u201cIntegrity.\u201d<\/p>\n
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There are plans and backup plans and contingencies in place, Hansen told the students. The most likely outcome will be landing in the Pacific Ocean at the end.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we also know there\u2019s a risk,\u201d Hansen added. \u201cAnd the thing that you should remember is that if you\u2019re taking risks in your life, they have to be for a good reason, and we think this risk is for a good reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think it\u2019s pushing humanity forward and therefore we should take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Artemis\u00a02 mission is \u201cvery much a stepping-stone to future missions,\u201d Hansen said.\u00a0Artemis\u00a03 aims to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, this time on the moon\u2019s South Pole.<\/p>\n
NASA also plans an\u00a0Artemis\u00a04 mission to begin assembly of the Gateway lunar space station, a small outpost that would orbit the moon and be fitted with Canadarm 3 robotics.<\/p>\n
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Hansen emphasized that Canada earned its spot thanks to its ambition and vision. Various robotic contributions like Canadarm have opened doors for Canadian astronauts to partake in missions.<\/p>\n
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