Meet Artemis II Astronaut Jeremy Hansen

Colonel Jeremy Hansen, an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency and Mission Specialist on NASA's Artemis II mission, recounts his early inspiration. A childhood image of an astronaut on the Moon deeply impacted him, sparking a lifelong dream. Growing up on a farm in London, Ontario, he learned hard work from his father and transformed his treehouse into a spaceship, exploring space through imagination. Hansen emphasizes the importance of sharing aspirations and working as a team, noting that achieving goals, like going to the Moon, requires collective effort. He identifies self-doubt as a significant personal impediment, a common human experience, but credits persistence and support from others for overcoming obstacles. He believes everyone has gifts to contribute and encourages using energy to positively impact humanity. Hansen admires ambitious goals, like lunar and Martian missions, for their ability to unite global talent. He also shares a perspective from Indigenous mentors who refer to the Moon as "Grandmother Moon," recognizing its influence on water and tides, a beautiful reminder of diverse cultural connections to the shared celestial body.