Fighter jet pilot and Astronaut Jeremy Hansen, one of the crew members of the Artemis 2 moon mission scheduled for November 2024, recently commended the supersonic T-38 trainer jet for its ability to prepare astronauts for spaceflight. Hansen explained that the challenging nature of flying the T-38 in a team setup, much like a spacecraft, helps astronauts manage real risks and prepares them for the journey to space.

Artemis 2 will be the first moon mission in over 50 years to carry humans. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Hansen. Artemis 3, the first manned lunar landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972, is currently planned for launch in 2025 or 2026.

During Artemis 2, all four astronauts will have the opportunity to fly the Orion spacecraft, providing valuable data for future missions. Hansen and Koch will serve as mission specialists, Glover as the pilot, and Wiseman as the commander.

Canada’s participation in Artemis 2 stems from its contributions to NASA’s Artemis program, aimed at establishing sustainable human presence on and around the moon by the end of the 2020s. Canada’s key contribution is the Canadarm3 robotic arm, which will support NASA’s Gateway space station in the lunar vicinity.

Hansen brings extensive experience to his moon mission, including managing the training schedules of the entire 2017 astronaut class, which was a first for a Canadian astronaut. He has logged numerous flight hours across different aircraft types. However, since Canada’s contributions to the International Space Station are modest, with a CSA flight occurring approximately once every six years, Hansen has not yet flown to space.

Hansen’s aviation journey began at the age of 16 when he started flying gliders. He obtained his private pilot license shortly after and later became a CF-18 fighter pilot for two tactical fighter squadrons. He also served as a combat operations officer for NORAD operations, deployed exercises, and Arctic flying operations.

The T-38 trainer jet has earned the respect of astronauts, including Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, who flew to the International Space Station in 2018-19. In a YouTube video recorded in 2015, Saint-Jacques praised the T-38’s capabilities, highlighting the need to monitor multiple channels and make critical decisions while flying. The T-38 has been used for training by over 72,000 U.S. Air Force pilots since its introduction in 1961. More than 500 T-38s are still in service with both the Air Force and NASA.

The T-38 can reach speeds up to Mach 1.6 and fly as high as 40,000 feet (12 kilometers), surpassing typical commercial airliner altitudes. Pilots can experience up to seven times the force of Earth’s gravity, equivalent to what an untrained individual would experience when blacking out. The physical demands of flying the T-38 make it a crucial part of astronaut training despite the inherent risks.

Flight proficiency training has been integral to NASA’s astronaut protocols since the early days of the program. The T-38 was introduced during the Gemini program and has been valued by NASA, despite several accidents involving astronauts over the years. The astronauts involved in the Gemini program and subsequent missions, such as Apollo and Skylab, benefited from flying trainers like the F-102A and T-33A.

NASA’s T-38 fleet is housed at Ellington Field, located near the Johnson Space Center in Houston where American spaceflight training takes place. During the space shuttle era, pilots and commanders flew the T-38 for at least 15 hours a month to maintain proficiency. Astronaut Terry Virts described the T-38 as fast but not as fast as frontline fighters, adding that it was capable of pulling significant G-forces.

In conclusion, Jeremy Hansen highlights the importance of the T-38 trainer jet in preparing astronauts for the challenges of spaceflight. Artemis 2, with its crew of skilled astronauts from various agencies, marks an important step towards humanity’s return to the moon.

The post Artemis 2 Astronaut Jeremy Hansen Praises T-38 Trainer Jet for Lunar Mission Preparation appeared first on TS2 SPACE.