Even if the little boy in him, who is excited by space, would have liked to see Artemis 1 take off last Monday, in Florida, the astronaut of the Canadian Space Agency, David Saint-Jacques considers that the postponement of the takeoff was the right decision.
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He invites people to watch the second attempt scheduled for Saturday.
“It is certain that I would have liked to see take off the most complex and powerful rocket ever built. However, the engineer in me was reassured to see that people were able to detect technical problems that could have led to a disaster.
The latter mentioned that lightning delayed the filling of the aircraft and that one of the engines did not cool enough before takeoff.
“Hundreds of thousands of parts are used to design this rocket. It would have been amazing if it worked the first time. That’s kind of the nature of test flights. NASA decided not to take a chance even if several people were at Cape Canaveral to attend this event, ”said Mr. Saint-Jacques at the microphone of Benoît Dutrizac at QUB Radio.
There will be no astronauts on board Artemis 1. However, it will be different in the next few years when at least one Canadian will be part of the Artemis 3 adventure. David Saint-Jacques admits that he won’t be bothered if asked to be a member of the crew.
“I answer yes, that’s for sure. When I was in the cupola of the space station, I looked at the moon. It’s a bit of a dream to see her up close. It’s a fantasy that so many people share, “said the one who considers having a chance of being among the chosen ones at the launch scheduled for 2025.
That said, whether the answer is positive or not, David Saint-Jacques considers himself privileged to participate in the Canadian space program.