Article written by Jill Power, RMC Alumni Association
For the first time in over 50 years NASA will be sending astronauts to the moon, this time with a Canadian. This Spring, NASA will announce the 4 person crew for its flagship Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon. Artemis II is scheduled to launch in 2024, and will be NASA’s first crewed mission to orbit the moon – flying further into space than any human has since the Apollo program. This program will pave the way for a potential moonwalk (Artemis III) in 2025.
NASA has been very secretive with the selection process of who will be on the Artemis II Mission, many saying even top NASA officials have been kept in the dark. Little is known about the selection process, or how that decision is made. This ‘secretive’ process dates back to the 1950’s. What we do know is that there will be three Americans and one Canadian – a decision solidified by a treaty signed between Canada and the US in 2020. According to CNN, NASA has emphasized the need for a program named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology, Artemis, and the crew to fly it will include a heavy mix of gender, racial and professional diversity. NASA has a far more diverse selection of candidates to choose from than during the Mercury program. Today, more than a third of the 41 candidates are women, and 12 are people of colour.
So who are the top contenders?
Col Randy Besnik
Randy “Komrade” Bresnik was selected as an astronaut in 2004. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in May 1989. During his military career, he became an F/A-18 Test Pilot and was eventually deployed to Kuwait to fly combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A veteran of STS-129, he has also trained as a Cave-a-naut with the European Space Agency to test living deep beneath the Earth’s surface as well as an Aquanaut for NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operation (NEEMO) 19. Bresnik most recently served as the Commander of the International Space Station for Expedition 53 and flight engineer for Expedition 52.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/randolph-j-bresnik/biography
Victor Glover
Victor J. Glover, Jr. was selected as an astronaut in 2013 while serving as a Legislative Fellow in the United States Senate. He most recently served as pilot and second-in-command on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which landed May 2, 2021. It is the first post-certification mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – the second crewed flight for that vehicle – and a long duration mission aboard the International Space Station. He also served as Flight Engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 64.
The California native holds a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering, a Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering, a Master of Science in Systems Engineering and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science. Glover is a Naval Aviator and was a test pilot in the F/A‐18 Hornet, Super Hornet and EA‐18G Growler. He and his family have been stationed in many locations in the United States and Japan and he has deployed in combat and peacetime.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/victor-j-glover/biography
21436 Col Jeremy Hansen, RMC Class of 1999
Born January 27, 1976, in London, Ontario, and raised on a farm near Ailsa Craig, Ontario, until moving to Ingersoll for his high school years. Colonel Hansen is married with three children. He enjoys sailboat cruising and racing, rock climbing and mountain biking.
Colonel Hansen holds a bachelor of science in space science (first class honours) from Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario (1999). He earned a master of science in physics from the same institution in 2000, with a research focus on Wide Field of View Satellite Tracking.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jeremy Hansen credits the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) – where he obtained a degree in Space Science and a Master of Science in Physics – for preparing him for an out-of-this-world career with the Canadian Astronaut Corps. One of two Canadians who will travel to the International Space Station by 2024, Hansen says his education and experiential learning at the RMC provided him with the industry knowledge, leadership skills and opportunities that prepared him for a career as an astronaut.
Source: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/canadian/active/bio-jeremy-hansen.asp
Christina Koch
Christina Hammock Koch was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2013. She completed astronaut candidate training in 2015. She most recently served as flight engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 59, 60 and 61. Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biography
Jessica Meir
Jessica U. Meir, a first generation American born to Israeli and Swedish immigrants, was selected by NASA in 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Brown University, a Master of Science in Space Studies from the International Space University, and a Doctorate in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD). From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Meir worked for Lockheed Martin’s Human Research Facility, supporting human physiology research. During this time, she also participated in research flights on NASA’s reduced gravity aircraft and served as an aquanaut in an underwater habitat for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO). Prior to becoming an astronaut, her career as a scientist focused on the physiology of animals in extreme environments. Meir most recently served as flight engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 61 and 62.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jessica-u-meir/biography
Stephanie Wilson
Stephanie D. Wilson is a veteran of three spaceflights, STS-121 in 2006, STS-120 in 2007, and STS-131 in 2010 and has logged more than 42 days in space. Born in Boston, she attended high school in Pittsfield, Mass., earned her Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science from Harvard University in 1988, and earned her Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering in 1992 from the University of Texas at Austin. Wilson has served as the Space Station Integration Branch Chief from 2010 to 2012, and in 2013 she completed a 9-month detail to NASA’s Glenn Research Center as the Acting Chief of Program and Project Integration in the Spaceflight Systems Directorate. In 2021, she served as a Back-up to the Crew-3 ISS Mission Specialists and she is currently the Deputy of the Assigned Crew Branch.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/stephanie-d-wilson
Reid Wiseman
Reid Wiseman served as Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 41 from May through November of 2014. During the 165-day mission, Reid and his crewmates completed over 300 scientific experiments in areas such as human physiology, medicine, physical science, Earth science and astrophysics. They set a milestone for station science by completing a record 82 hours of research in a single week. This was Reid’s first spaceflight, which also included almost 13 hours as lead spacewalker during two trips outside the orbital complex. Reid also fostered a strong social media presence throughout his mission by sharing the raw emotions of spaceflight as seen through the eyes of a rookie flier. The Baltimore native earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Wiseman most recently served as the Chief of the Astronaut Office.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/g-reid-wiseman/biography
Anne McClain
Anne C. McClain was selected by NASA in 2013. The Spokane, Washington native earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical/Aeronautical Engineering from West Point. A 2002 Marshall Scholar, McClain earned a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Bath in Bath, England and a Master of Science in International Relations from the University of Bristol in Bristol, England. Lieutenant Colonel McClain, a Senior Army Aviator, has more than 2,000 flight hours in 20 different aircraft. She is an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior pilot and instructor pilot, and a rated pilot in the C-12 Huron (King Air), UH-60 Blackhawk, and UH-72 Lakota. McClain most recently served as Flight Engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 58 and 59.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/anne-c-mcclain/biography
Canadian Astronauts and the Military College Connection
8276 Marc Garneau, CMR RMC 1970
Marc Garneau, C.C., C.D., B.Sc., Ph.D., FCASI, was born on February 23, 1949 in Quebec City. He studied Engineering Physics at the Royal Military College of Kingston, and earned his Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, England, in 1973.
He began his career as a naval officer in 1973 and was based in Halifax, serving as an engineer and instructor. In 1980 he began working with the Naval Engineering Unit where he helped develop an aircraft-towed target system to measure naval gunnery accuracy. Promoted to the rank of Commander in 1982, he was transferred to Ottawa in 1983 and became design authority for naval communications and electronics warfare equipment and systems.
In 1983 Garneau answered an ad from the National Research Council for Canadians to apply to become astronauts to fly in future space missions. Out of nearly 4300 applications, he was one of six chosen to become the first group of Canadian astronauts, and in 1984 was selected as number one to go. He was then seconded from the Navy to the new Canadian Astronaut Program to begin a short period of rigorous training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. His first flight, STS-41G, was on the shuttle Challenger from October 5-13, 1984 as payload specialist, becoming the first Canadian to fly on a NASA mission to space.
He was promoted to Captain in 1986 but ended his naval career in 1989 after 23 years service to become deputy director of the Canadian Astronaut Program, where he provided technical and program support for future Canadian missions.
Garneau logged about 678 hours n space during his three missions. Even more importantly, and often working behind the scenes, he used his engineering expertise, his passion and his quiet grace to bring success to Canada’s space program and create opportunities for Canadian astronauts who followed in his footsteps.
Passionate about planetary exploration and a visionary in formulating a role for the Canadian scientific community, Garneau has fostered new developments in Canadian technologies and has spoken out in support of another important role for Canada, this time in Moon and Mars exploration. His foresight and convincing leadership are focused on ensuring that Canadian scientists remain at the leading edge of research on our solar system and beyond.
Source: https://cahf.ca/marc-garneau/
H13738 Chris Hadfield, RRMC RMC 1982
Born August 29, 1959, in Sarnia, and raised in Milton, Ontario. Colonel Chris Hadfield is married to Helene Hadfield (née Walter). They have three children. He enjoys skiing, playing guitar, singing, riding, writing, running, and playing volleyball and squash. His parents, Roger and Eleanor Hadfield, reside near Milton. Her mother, Gwendoline Walter, resides in Victoria, B.C. Her father, Erhard Walter, is deceased.
Raised on a corn farm in southern Ontario, Chris Hadfield became interested in flying from a young age. As an Air Cadet, he won a glider pilot scholarship at age 15 and a powered pilot scholarship at age 16. He also taught skiing and ski racing part- and full-time for 10 years.
Hadfield joined the Canadian Armed Forces in May 1978. He spent two years at Royal Roads Military College, in Victoria, British Columbia, followed by two years at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (with honours) in 1982. Hadfield underwent basic flight training in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, for which he was named top pilot in 1980. In 1983, he took honours as the overall top graduate from Basic Jet Training in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and in 1984-1985, he trained as a fighter pilot in Cold Lake, Alberta on CF-5s and CF-18s.
In November 1995 Hadfield served as Mission Specialist 1 on STS-74, NASA‘s second space shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. During the flight, the crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis attached a five-tonne docking module to Mir and transferred over 1,000 kg of food, water, and scientific supplies to the cosmonauts. Hadfield flew as the first Canadian mission specialist, the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit, and the only Canadian to ever board Mir.
In April 2001 Hadfield served as Mission Specialist 1 on STS-100 International Space Station (ISS) assembly Flight 6A. The crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour delivered and installed Canadarm2, the new Canadian-built robotic arm, as well as the Italian-made resupply module Raffaello. During the 11-day flight, Hadfield performed two spacewalks, which made him the first Canadian to ever leave a spacecraft and float freely in space. In total, Hadfield spent 14 hours, 54 minutes outside, travelling 10 times around the world.
Source: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/canadian/former/bio-chris-hadfield.asp
21436 Col Jeremy Hansen, RMC Class of 1999
Born January 27, 1976, in London, Ontario, and raised on a farm near Ailsa Craig, Ontario, until moving to Ingersoll for his high school years. Colonel Hansen is married with three children. He enjoys sailboat cruising and racing, rock climbing and mountain biking.
Colonel Hansen holds a bachelor of science in space science (first class honours) from Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario (1999). He earned a master of science in physics from the same institution in 2000, with a research focus on Wide Field of View Satellite Tracking.
Organizations: Canadian Armed Forces, 1994 to present
Special honours: Canadian Forces Decoration – 12 Years of Good Service (October 2006), Canadian Air Force Pilot Wings (May 2002), Clancy Scheldrup Memorial Trophy – Outstanding Graduate on the Basic Flying Course (2001), Air Cadet League of Canada Award – Top Air Force Graduate from the Royal Military College of Canada (May 1999), The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).
Prior to joining the Canadian Space Program, Colonel Hansen served as a CF-18 fighter pilot and held the position of Combat Operations Officer at 4 Wing in Cold Lake, Alberta. His responsibilities included ensuring the effectiveness of NORAD Air Defense Operations and the operability of Deployed and Forward Operating Locations (Bases).
From 2004 to 2007, Colonel Hansen served as a CF-18 fighter pilot with 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron and 441 Tactical Fighter Squadron, where his responsibilities included NORAD Operations, Deployed Exercises and Arctic Flying Operations. He completed his CF-18 Fighter Pilot Training in 410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron from 2003 to 2004.
Colonel Hansen’s flight experience began at the age of 12, when he joined the Air Cadet Program. He obtained both glider and private pilot licenses through this program by the age of 17. This training led to his acceptance to Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.
Source: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/canadian/active/bio-jeremy-hansen.asp
22911 Joshua Kutryk, RMC 2004
Born , in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Colonel Kutryk was raised on a cattle farm in eastern Alberta. He enjoys backcountry skiing, cycling, mountaineering and paragliding.
Colonel Kutryk holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (1st Class Distinction) from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario (). He also earned a master’s degree in space studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida (), a master’s degree in flight test engineering from the United States Air Force’s Air University in Alabama (), and a master’s degree in defence studies from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario ().
Prior to joining the Canadian Space Program, Colonel Kutryk worked as an experimental test pilot and a fighter pilot in Cold Lake, Alberta, where he led the unit responsible for the operational flight-testing of fighter aircraft in Canada.
As the officer in charge of fighter evaluations, he was responsible for safely conducting the initial airborne evaluations of new technologies and systems on the CF-18. He worked with a team of aerospace engineers, analysts, aircraft technicians and program managers in order to make the CF-18 safer and more effective in its mission. Colonel Kutryk has worked on a variety of technical flight test projects, ranging from out-of-control flying to automated navigation and flight control systems to weapon guidance and control. In addition, he has worked extensively as an instructor, teaching other pilots how to fly the CF-18 on demanding missions.
In , Colonel Kutryk received the prestigious Liethen-Tittle Award from the United States Air Force for being their top test pilot graduate, an award also presented to Colonel Chris Hadfield in .
From to , Colonel Kutryk served as a CF-18 fighter pilot with 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron in Bagotville, Quebec. During that time he flew missions in support of NATO, UN and NORAD commitments around the world. He has been deployed in both Libya and Afghanistan.
Colonel Kutryk was one of two recruits selected by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in through the fourth Canadian astronaut recruitment campaign.
Colonel Kutryk was one of the top 16 candidates (from over 5,350 hopefuls) during Canada’s astronaut recruitment campaign. Due to his perseverance and dedication, he now finds himself in the Canadian Astronaut Corps.
In , Colonel Kutryk relocated to Houston, Texas, to take the two-year Astronaut Candidate Training Program at the Johnson Space Center as a member of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut class.
The program includes scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station (ISS) systems, simulated extravehicular activities (EVAs, or spacewalks), robotics, physiological training, flight training, Russian language courses, and sea and wilderness survival training.
Colonel Kutryk completed the two-year Astronaut Candidate Training Program and obtained the official title of astronaut in .
Source: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/canadian/active/bio-joshua-kutryk.asp
Congratulations Jeremy. We are proud of you and your colleagues. We wish you success on, and safe return from, this adventurous mission.
H-5276 Digger
President, Ottawa Branch, RMC Alumni Association
Well done to Marc Garneau, Chris Hadfield, Jeremy Hansen and Joshua Kutryk on your very successful endeavours. I think I reflect the views of many RMC graduates (and also Canadians from all around the world) that we are all very elated over your achievements.