Getting to meet a fighter pilot is pretty amazing; getting to meet an astronaut is out of this world.

Students at the 3 Canadian Forces Flight Training School (3CFFTS) got the chance to meet Canadian astronaut Maj. Jeremy Hansen on Feb. 27 and listen to him recount his journey of getting to fly into space.

Its a fantastic opportunity for students here to see what options are available in the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Armed Forces, said Lt.-Col. Peter Fedak of 3CFFTS.

Hansen, who grew up on a farm near Ailsa Craig, Ontario, began his trek towards being an astronaut as an air cadet at 12 years old and received a private pilots licence at 17. He later gained a Bachelor of Science degree in Space Science from the Royal Military College whereupon he earned a Master of Science in Physics in 2000 with a focus on wide field of view satellite tracking.

Prior to joining the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the 38-year-old served as a CF-18 fighter pilot and held the position of combat operations officer at Four Wing Operations in Cold Lake, Alberta.

Ive kept this dream of going into space since I was a young child. My tree house was a spaceship and I was always going on space missions as a kid, said Hansen. As I got older, I understood the challenges of being an astronaut and knew it wasnt likely for me, but I knew it was possible. I just kept aiming for that goal.

Hansen has been in training and working with NASA since May 2009 as one of two Canadian members waiting to fly into space before 2020. Being only one of 12 Canadians in the history of the CSA to go into space is a privilege for Hansen.

Thats something Im entitled to and its true Ive worked hard, but really what it comes down to is Im just a really fortunate Canadian to have this opportunity to fly into space, he said.

During his presentation, Hansen discussed some of the changes that are happening in the space program, including the commercialization of space travel.

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