‘Don’t Fall Off the Horse’: Astronaut Jeremy Hansen Leads Calgary Stampede Parade

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who will fly to the moon as part of the Artemis II mission, speaks during the Canada Day noon show at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa, on July 1, 2023. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Col. Jeremy Hansen is preparing to become the first Canadian to travel to the moon as part of the Artemis II mission, but Friday he  cowboyed up to become the second astronaut to be marshal of the Calgary Stampede parade.

The 10-day Artemis II mission could launch as early as November of next year and involves slingshotting into deep space for a figure-8 manoeuvre around the far side of the moon. It would mark the first time any human has ventured so far from Earth.