Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen visited Niagara Falls on Sunday, in anticipation of Monday’s total solar eclipse.
Hansen, who has been assigned to the Artemis 2 Mission, is set to become the first Canadian to journey around the moon next year.
Hansen is just as excited about his upcoming lunar mission as he is about the eclipse.
“I’m 48 years old and it’s the first one I’m going to see that’s pretty special,” says Hansen.
As Hansen prepares for his mission around the moon set to launch no earlier than September of next year. The Ontario-born astronaut made an appearance in Niagara Falls ahead of the total solar eclipse to inspire and educate young and upcoming astronauts.
“I’m personally super excited to take this in and I hope people use it to take time to connect with youths and teach them the importance of science and our world.”
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Later in the day, Hansen held a Q&A session on the Queen Victoria Park event stage.
An aspiring astronaut, Kaden Clement-Taylor, is currently attending the 614 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron which is the same squadron Hansen joined when he was 12 in 1988.
“Space is a very important subject because it’s the frontier and people like Jeremy Hansen are breaking those boundaries again and again,” says Kaden.
Hansen shared advice for up-and-coming astronauts.
“Set goals, share them with other people, you’ll have challenges but those people will help you get over them.”
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