Astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and his path to the stars

Lt.-Col. Jeremy Hansen, an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency and a decorated fighter pilot, will visit campus on Sept. 23 as part of the Principal’s Forum Distinguished Visitor series. Lt.-Col Hansen will deliver a presentation on his career, the goals and mission of the CSA, and the importance of following big dreams.

“Lt.-Col. Hansen’s career is the embodiment of the phrase ‘shoot for the stars,’ and a testament to what can be achieved through hard work and dedicated effort,” says Principal and Vice-Chancellor Daniel Woolf. “I’m certain our students and the broader Kingston community will look forward to learning more about the path he took to become an astronaut and what they can do to prepare for their own future opportunities and challenges.”

Lt.-Col. Hansen is, without doubt, a modern-day explorer. As far back as he can remember, he dreamt of becoming an astronaut, and began flying at the age of 17, eventually becoming a CF-18 fighter pilot. In 2009, Lt.-Col. Hansen was selected to become one of two Canadian astronauts. Since then, his intensive astronaut training has included geological expeditions in Canada’s North, exploring caves, living under water, and conducting scientific experiments.

Queen’s has welcomed a number of astronauts and representatives of the Canadian Space Agency to campus in recent years – including David Williams, Marc Garneau, and Julie Payette. Queen’s alumnus Andrew Feustel (PhD’95) served on the final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope – bringing with him to orbit a banner depicting Queen’s landmark street sign at the corner of University and Union as viewed from orbit.

Lt.-Col. Hansen’s public talk will take place in the atrium of Beamish Munro Hall (45 Union St.) from 12:30 to 1:30 pm on Sept. 23. The event is free and open to the public. Seating on the main floor is limited; standing room is available on the upper floors surrounding the atrium.

Established in 2012, the Principal’s Forum is a public lecture series that takes place on Queen’s campus. It enables the principal to invite distinguished visitors to campus to speak on issues of interest to the Queen’s community. Past speakers include The Rt. Hon. David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and Sir Terry Matthews, founder of Mitel.

The original story ran in the Queen's Gazette.