Canada's Newest Astronauts & NASA Graduates Could Be The First Canadians On The Moon

It's not every day that Canada gets new astronauts that are officially ready for space travel and we don't actually have that many of them. Our country only had a dozen of them but now two more are added to that list. These Canadian astronauts graduated NASA training and could be the first people from this country to walk on the moon! 

The northern nation's two newest astronauts, Jenni Sidey-Gibbons and Joshua Kutryk, officially graduated from NASA's astronaut basic training on January 10.

This makes them eligible for space flight whether that's orbiting Earth on the International Space Station, being the first Canadians on the moon or even being the first people on Mars.

It's been a long process to get there. Sidney-Gibbons and Kutryk were originally chosen by the Canadian Space Agency back in 2017.

After two years of training in spacewalking, robotics, International Space Station systems, jet proficiencies and the Russian language, these two new astronauts are ready for space.

Coincidentally both of them are from Alberta and trained in Houston, Texas as part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts back to the moon by 2024.

In a video produced by the CSA, Canada's newest astronauts shared their dreams of going to the moon. 

"Just the thought of the day when we might see a Canadian flag on the moon is something that excites me like nothing else," said Kutryk in the video. "That day is coming."

Last year, Canada announced a partnership with NASA for the Lunar Gateway project which is part of the Artemis program.

That program will see the first woman and the next man walk on the moon which could very well be Sidey-Gibbons and Kutryk.

"Canada's astronauts are our modern-day explorers. Not only do they help develop new space technologies, advance scientific knowledge and promote Canada in space, they inspire all Canadians to look to the stars and dream about what is possible," said Navdeep Bains, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, in a news release.

There's another True North connection when it comes to these graduating astronauts.

The class was taught by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and he is the first Canuck to ever teach this training class.

Sidey-Gibbons and Kutryk are only the CSA's 13th and 14th astronauts ever, joining other big names like Chris Hadfield and David Saint-Jacques.