“I didn’t really know if I would be an astronaut or what it meant,” he said.
Growing up, Hansen learned that only a select lucky few got the chance to ever go to space, so he developed plan B.
He picked flying as an alternative and began studying to become a pilot at the age of 12 when he joined the Air Cadet Program.
He later graduated with a Master of Science in Physics from Royal Military College in Kingston and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Hansen eventually became a Major and was a CF-18 fighter pilot with responsibilities that included NORAD operations and the support of various military bases prior to joining the Canadian space program.
“That really taught me that, even though I really wanted to be an astronaut and [it was] in the back of my mind, I had to pick something that I could do in the near term ... and just keep working toward my dream, and maybe someday it will work out—and it did,” he said.
‘Bring space back to the public’
