69° and Patchy rain nearby
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The eclipse is causing all kinds of strangeness in Niagara Falls. Even some Buffalo media crossed the Grand Island Bridges to see an astronaut and a heliophysicist discuss the eclipses.
Usually they only come for shootings and big fires.
Instead, Channel 4, 7 and WBFO were there Saturday to hear Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian astronaut who will be the first from his country on a mission to the Moon and David Cheney, NASA’s lead heliophysicist.
No one from the Niagara Gazette or Buffalo News covered the press conference at the State Parks Education building.
Hansen grew up in Ontario, became a pilot at a young age, joined the Canadian Air Force and was an F-18 pilot before being accepted into astronaut training. He leads the explorers who will be on Artemis II which will circle the moon in 2025 before Artemis III lands.
Hansen said he was in university when he met Chris Hadfield, perhaps the most famous Canadian astronaut ever (you might remember Hadfield's version of Bowie's Space Oddity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR5G5keqVt4. Hadfield was still in the astronaut corps when Hansen signed on. He became a mentor and friend. They met for lunch a few weeks ago.
The eclipse is important, Hansen said, because of the perspective it gives.
“It caused people to ask questions back when they thought the earth was flat,” he said. “When do you ever look at the sun? We just take it for granted. It rises and sets.”
Cheney and Hansen spoke of how space has become critical to our existence.
“If we could turn off space for a moment,” Hansen said, “it would be ‘wow, turn it back on.’ ”
Cheney said as much as the science is important, for example, understanding how space weather impacts communications, so is interacting with the public and encouraging citizen scientists which is the primary mission of the NASA delegation in the Falls.
The closest experiment, Cheney said, will be rockets launched from Virginia to study changes in the ionosphere.
Hansen said he left his hotel Saturday morning and stepped onto the street here wearing blue space jumpsuit when he was approached by a young man who recognized him as an astronaut.
“He told me all about the Voyager,” Hansen said. “He wants to grow up and work for NASA and be part of the next Voyager.”
The youth is 7 years old and exactly the reason NASA sends its resident
Hansen said the key to life is to find something you are passionate about and then tell everyone. Inspiration and encouragement will come from those around you. Vision is not as important as passion.
