Winnipeg dad, young son captivated by first mission to moon in more than a half-century

Seated in his St. Boniface home Wednesday evening with his four-year-old son by his side, Adam Gear was preparing to watch a group of NASA astronauts make history as they embarked on the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972.

“I think it’s going to be really exciting, and hopefully it opens the eyes of many people to consider the bigger picture of what’s going on in the world,” Gear said, speaking a few hours before the four-astronaut Artemis II crew — including Canadian Jeremy Hansen — lifted off atop their 32-storey-transportation from Cape Canaveral, Fla., at about 5:35 Winnipeg time.

Once in orbit, the plan involves a 10-day journey in which the crew will travel around the moon and then head back to Earth to land in the Pacific Ocean.

The Artemis II flight will allow NASA to test the spacecraft’s life-support and other critical systems, while also conducting research along the way. It is one phase of a larger mission, with the ultimate goal of seeing astronauts land on the lunar surface in 2028 and eventually establish humankind’s first lunar base.

The team includes mission specialist Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, who becomes the first person from this country to venture beyond low orbit and into deep space.

The crew also includes Americans Christina Koch and Victor Glover, the first woman and first Black astronaut, respectively, destined for the moon.

American Reid Wiseman is leading the mission.

Gear, 34, hoped witnessing the launch might leave an impression on his son, Oliver, who has developed a budding interest in astronomy alongside his dad. The mission is being streamed live online by NASA, allowing for the father-son duo to watch every moment.

Gear, who works as a life-flight paramedic, moved to Winnipeg from northern Ontario in 2021 so his wife could complete a medical residency as a pediatrician.

He has long been interested in space but began practising astronomy in earnest about a year ago, later joining the local branch of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

What began as stargazing through a set of binoculars grew into a passion for lunar photography, telescopes and celestial navigation, he said.

“It’s eerie and it’s mysterious, but it’s really cool and intriguing,” Gear said, referring to space.

“It’s peaceful, in a way, and it makes you think about things and ponder. It focuses you and grounds you, and all kinds of things I didn’t really expect…. There are many things now that I appreciate, that I didn’t before.”

“They are humans travelling on behalf of Earth, and that’s a perspective that I think is a really valuable one to be inspired by.”

Scott Young, a planetarium astronomer with the Manitoba Museum, said he hoped the launch would inspire kids like Oliver to study science, engineering and aviation — building the next generation of aspiring astronauts.

He described the mission as another step toward creating a true, “space-faring civilization” that is not divided by politics and borders, but unified by shared humanity and a commitment to interstellar exploration.

“Space is one of the few places where international collaboration seems to still be working very well,” Young said. “They are humans travelling on behalf of Earth, and that’s a perspective that I think is a really valuable one to be inspired by.”

Young referenced the Apollo 11 mission of 1969, which saw American astronaut Neil Armstrong become the first person to set foot on the moon.

“It was a huge impact on people emotionally, and I’m hoping that we will see the same thing out of this mission,” he said.

Philip Ferguson, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and president of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, said people interested in astronomy have a wealth of opportunities to study in Manitoba.

Ferguson directs the Space Technology and Advanced Research laboratory at the university, where students are currently working to build Canada’s first-ever lunar satellite.

“What I really hope comes out of this mission is inspiration,” he said. “These are the kinds of things that can set someone’s career on a completely different path, and Canada — and the rest of the world — needs people working in (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).”

—With files from the Associated Press

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca