Who will be this year’s Calgary Stampede parade marshal?
Global News
Hansen will be the first Canadian to orbit the moon as part of the historic Artemis II mission.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will be Calgary Stampede’s parade marshal this year.
Hansen will be the first Canadian to orbit the moon as part of the historic Artemis II mission. It’s the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972 and will last approximately 10 days, according to the Canadian Space Agency’s website.
According to the Canadian Space Agency, Hansen always had a passion for aviation. He joined the 614 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in London, Ont., at the age of 12 and earned his Air Cadet glider pilot wings at 16 in Trenton.
He earned his private pilot licence and wings in Cornwall, Ont. when he was 17, and was later accepted to the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in space science in 1999 at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont. and a master’s in physics from the same institution in 2000.
“Jeremy Hansen is a trailblazer who exemplifies the values of the Calgary Stampede,” said Will Osler, president and chair of Calgary Stampede’s board of directors.
“His integrity and commitment to community are an inspiration, and all Calgarians, Albertans and Canadians are proud of him and everything he has accomplished. We are honoured to have Jeremy lead our parade as an example of what you can achieve when you work hard and dream big.”
Hansen will be joined by honorary parade marshal Gen. Wayne Eyre. Eyre is the chief of defence staff for the Department of National Defence, which oversees the military.