CSA astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen marks 100 years of the RCAF

Uploaded on March 27, 2024

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CSA astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen marks 100 years of the RCAF

2024-03-28 — As a former CF-18 pilot and an active member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Canadian Space Agency astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen expresses his gratitude to former and current service members and their families on the centennial of the RCAF. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

Jeremy Hansen: Hello. I’m Colonel Jeremy Hansen. Before being recruited as an astronaut by the Canadian Space Agency, I was a CF-18 pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Seeing a CF-18 fighter jet fly at the London International Air Show as a child inspired me. I wanted to see what it was like to fly straight up into the clouds, upside down and faster than the speed of sound. So when I was 12 years old, I joined the Air Cadets. Cadets provided opportunities to develop myself as a good Canadian citizen, as a leadership, and eventually to extraordinary opportunity to earn my wings as a glider pilot and a private pilot. All of those opportunities really took a shy, young farm boy and prepared me to join the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Throughout my military career, I have witnessed first-hand the dedication and excellence of “Your Air Force”. I respect what all of the people who have come before me have done, and the sacrifices that were made.

Now, as I prepare to represent Canada on a mission around the Moon, on Artemis II, I’m extremely proud to represent the Canadian Space Agency, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the entire Canadian Armed Forces. In doing so, I hope to honour the dedicated women and men who currently serve and have previously served our country over the past one hundred years. It is such an extraordinary and inspiring example to follow.

Walking in your footsteps is a significant calling - and one of the greatest privileges of my life. Ad Astra!

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