Former Ingersoll resident continues historic space journey

The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA’s Orion spacecraft on Monday, April 6, during the Artemis II mission. Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, which is slightly brighter than the rest of the disk. The bright spot visible just below the Moon’s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars. (NASA Photo)

Lee Griffi, Editor & Kyrah Smith, Echo Correspondant

It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for the Town of Ingersoll. On April 1, the town showed its support for astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

The Ingersoll Public Library marked the moment with a space-themed display celebrating the upcoming Artemis II launch, featuring news clippings and books related to space exploration.

Library staff recalled the excitement surrounding their 2024 Summer Reading Club, which also embraced a space theme.

“When we did all our class visits, we already knew about Artemis,” said Shannon Follington. “We were telling all the kids Jeremy Hansen went to high school in Ingersoll,” she added with a laugh.

The enthusiasm has only grown since then.

“We had an Easter event this morning, and there were kids dressed in little space shirts saying, ‘Have you heard of Jeremy Hansen?’” she added.

Hansen’s former high school, Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute (IDCI), also joined in celebrating his journey. A large sign displayed out front reads “For All Humanity,” a nod to the Artemis mission. The school has even launched an Artemis Explorers Club following Hansen’s selection and features several displays honouring the accomplished alumnus.

Ahead of the anticipated launch, Hansen’s parents, Nancy and Greg Hansen, visited the school on March 12 and were deeply moved by the community’s enthusiasm and pride.

Jeremy Hansen may have only lived in Ingersoll for a few years, but the astronaut could have just become the town’s most famous son.

He grew up on a farm near Ailsa Craig, not far from London. As a teenager, he moved to Ingersoll, and during that time, he was already deeply interested in aviation and joined the Air Cadets at age 12 while working toward pilot qualifications.

Hansen is joined on the Artemis II mission by NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch.

“Sharing this journey with Canadians is incredibly meaningful to me. I want every young person watching to know that this mission belongs to all of us,” said Hansen while aboard the ship. “I hope it sparks the imagination of the next generation, because Canada’s future in space is bright, and it will take all of us to build it.”

He also made sure his crew members had a true taste of Canada while in space.

“Here’s the maple syrup that we opened up at lunchtime today,” Hansen said during a television interview, as a packet of maple syrup floated in front of him in the weightless environment aboard the Orion space capsule. “So, we had a little bit of Canada on board today.”

Hansen and the rest of his crew are expected to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere on Friday afternoon around 5 p.m., landing in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.