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- F ew people foresaw humanity’s quest for the moon as accurately as the 19th-century French author Jules Verne , whose two works –From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon – anticipated many of the features of modern lunar exploration.
But Verne’s language had never been spoken in deep space until the Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen uttered four words during Nasa’s recent Artemis II mission.
On day three of the mission, as the Integrity spacecraft hurtled towards the moon, Jeremy Hansen turned to a camera. “Bonjour tout le monde,” he said from nearly 125,000 miles away – a greeting with a literal translation that captured the immensity of the journey: hello all of the world.
“For the first time in history, our language, the French language, was expressed en route to the moon,” posted a Canadian parliamentarian. “Never had French been spoken from so far away.”
Hansen’s decision to speak French, during the mission and at a Nasa press conference on his return to the Earth, came shortly after a linguistic row – and public relations nightmare – for Canada’s flagship airline, that underscored how deeply the language is linked to the country’s politics and culture.
Artemis II mission astronauts Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman at a welcoming ceremony in Houston on 11 April. Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images
The Air Canada chief Michael Rousseau was forced to resign last month amid a storm of indignation after he spoke just two words of French in a video tribute to two pilots killed in a fatal collision. One of the pilots was a native French speaker, and Air Canada is based in Montreal, and Rousseau’s failure to speak the language – despite having a francophone mother and wife – has been seen as a snub to the 80% of Quebec’s population who do.
Even Canada’s prime minster waded into the dispute, saying the video showed a “lack of judgment, a lack of compassion”.
Weeks later, Mark Carney had nothing but praise for Hansen as the Artemis crew hurtled towards the moon.
“Canadians are so proud of you for a number of reasons, of course, but it was incredible to hear you speak French for the first time in space,” he said while speaking French to the astronaut. “Proud of what you’re doing … We’ve all been watching and inspired by what you’re doing.”
The conversation between two anglophones – addressing each other in heavily accented French – prompted widespread praise among many Canadians.
“Francophones in Canada will celebrate those efforts. Neither of those men speak perfect French. They likely never will. But to see them make that effort publicly and very openly resonates with francophones across the country,” said Stéphanie Chouinard, a professor of political science at Canada’s Royal Military College, the postsecondary institution Hansen attended. “The expectation here is not perfection, it’s effort and respect.”
Hansen learned French earlier in school and had to reach a high level of proficiency, in order to graduate from the RMC. He still frequently uses French in public outreach events and often answers questions from Canadians bilingually. For many, Hansen appears to treat French as part of the job of representing Canada and Air Canada’s chief seemed to treat the language as optional.
“Aside from firefighters, astronauts are probably the profession that children most look up to. And for Hansen to put himself out there and to make that effort – and to show that it’s always a work in progress – is the best kind of role modeling you can hope for” said Chouinard. “French doesn’t go a long way in the hallways of Nasa. [But] he knows he represents Canada – and sees it as something worth showcasing as important. This speaks volumes.”
Michael Rousseau, who resigned after the video storm. Photograph: Nick Lachance/Toronto Star/Getty Images
Online forums have discussed the astronaut’s heavily accented French, with most agreeing it was impressive. And many flagged the obvious: it was the opposite level of effort to Air Canada’s outgoing CEO.
Hansen has spoken publicly about his desire to represent the people who live in Canada as best he can. He has forged close relationships with Indigenous elders to better understand the cultural importance of the 13 moon calendar, shared by the Anishinaabe, Cree and Haudenosaunee cultures, that guides planting, harvesting, hunting and gathering.
The Artemis II mission left Earth during Ziisbaakdoke Giizis, which means the sugar marking moon in Anishinaabemowin – a time widely seen as a time of renewal when the maple sap runs.
The Artemis II mission astronauts at a press conference in Houston on 16 April. Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images
Hansen’s custom patch, which he wore for the mission, was designed by the Anishinaabe artist Henry Guimond. Part of the image shows Artemis launching her arrow with the astronauts, sending them around “Grandmother Moon” who reflects the “cycle of life”.
“Sit with your elders and ask questions,” Hansen said from space. “Every time I’ve listened, I’ve learned amazing things.”
Upon return to Earth, the Artemis crew appeared moved by the deeply human experience of leaving the planet. Hansen later said it made him realize humans were “small and powerless – yet powerful together”.
Recent developments in artificial intelligence and wearable technology have led some to suggest that learning a second language is no longer important. But the Canadian astronaut’s decision to deliberately speak French, with the world watching reflected the deep cultural component embedded in learning and respecting another language.
“Of course, language is a tool of information, exchange and communication. But it’s so much more than that. Anyone who decides to learn to speak another language than their own, realizes the extent to which any language comes with a specific conception of the world and the universe around us,” said Chouinard. “It’s really a way to learn to see the world – our world – through a different lens.”
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