The astronauts who captured the world's imagination with their journey to the far side of the moon last month visited Ottawa to talk about the future of space travel Wednesday.
Canadian Jeremy Hansen and his Artemis II crewmates have a series of events scheduled in the capital that began with a morning meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in his office.
The 10-day mission took Hansen, mission commander Reid Wiseman and astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch farther from Earth than any humans before them.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons, who was part of the team at NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston during Artemis II's journey, is taking part in the Ottawa tour.
Carney said it was an honour to welcome the crew to the capital and they would discuss what Canada can offer in future space missions with NASA.
"This is as far as any people had gone into space, but it was risk for a reason and risk to set up even bigger opportunities. We’re going to have a chance to talk about that,” Carney said in public remarks before his private meeting with the crew.
“Artemis II is just a step on a much longer journey for us, and like you we can’t wait to be part of what’s next,” Hansen said.
The Artemis IIl mission is scheduled to take place next year, ahead of the Artemis IV mission in 2028 which will take astronauts back to the surface of the moon.
Carney gave the crew members commemorative silver coins that show a colour image of an astronaut on one side and King Charles on the other. He also gave Hansen the Canadian flag that was flying on the Peace Tower the day the Artemis capsule splashed down off the California coast.
Hansen gave Carney a framed Canadian flag patch that he said was in the capsule throughout the mission. The patch is mounted on a photo of Earth taken from the far side of the moon, with each Artemis II crew member's signature on it.
Hansen and his crewmates are also scheduled to take part in a sold-out public discussion about their mission to the far side of the moon and its impact on the future of space exploration at the National Arts Centre on Wednesday afternoon.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
