By Gavin Mackintosh-
A Cambridge professor, Dr. Jenni Gibbons, Assistant Professor and Fellow at St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge, has been selected by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to serve as the backup astronaut for NASA’s Artemis II mission—the first crewed mission to the moon since the iconic Apollo 17 in 1972.
Artemis II, the second mission under NASA’s Artemis program, is slated to take place in November 2024 and is poised to surpass the achievements of its predecessors.
Dr. Gibbons, chosen as the backup to CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, expressed her enthusiasm for being part of this monumental mission, which she describes as “the most critically ground-breaking mission that NASA has put together in 50 years.”
The Artemis II mission will feature a crew of four astronauts, including Dr. Gibbons, who will embark on a lunar flyby lasting a maximum of 21 days.
This marks a significant step towards humanity’s deeper exploration of space, breaking barriers that have stood for decades.
Dr. Gibbons, with her background as a Cambridge academic, sees her role in the mission as an opportunity to contribute to the development of crucial procedures for the crew.
“I love the big picture of it – of space exploration,” said Dr Jenni Gibbons, Assistant Professor in Engineering at Cambridge, and Fellow at St Catharine’s College. “I know that the things that we learn on our journeys beyond our own atmosphere really help us here on Earth.
“The systems we need to keep astronauts alive in space, for example, are very similar to the systems we would need to develop to support life in remote regions on Earth – things like medical care, food security and clean water. These things are at the core of space exploration, but it’s also how we gain traction and help solve challenges that we’re facing on our planet.
“The technologies that we’re developing for space, to understand that big picture, not only bring scientific benefits but also this technological windfall that follows.”
Dr Gibbons – a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut, who moved from Cambridge to Houston in 2017 to begin NASA training – will provide ground support and be instrumental in developing astronaut procedures for Artemis II, and future lunar missions.
And should fellow Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen be unable to participate as a crew member on the Orion spacecraft, which is planned to launch in November 2024, Dr Gibbons will step in.”
Reflecting on her academic journey, Dr. Gibbons attributed her success to her time at Jesus College, Cambridge, where she completed her Ph.D. and went on to secure a professorship. “I was so fortunate to come to Cambridge to do my Ph.D., and I had a wonderful supervisor and set of colleagues,” she said. “So it’s been a surprise, but a really wonderful journey that Cambridge has a lot to do with.”