Manitoba artist designs patch for Artemis II astronaut

The Artemis II crew on the ground in Florida says the mood is ‘giddy’ as the spacecraft continues to travel towards the moon.

A Manitoba artist’s latest creation is sitting among the stars.

Henry Guimond of Sagkeeng First Nation designed a mission patch for Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen as he takes part in the Artemis II mission, travelling around the moon and back.

Guimond said it was a surprise for him to receive the call from Hansen.

“I didn’t really know what he wanted,” he said. “I thought he wanted a painting. I got the call from him, and he wanted a mission patch designed for Artemis II.”

Guimond said it took him more than 200 hours to complete the design for the patch and did two drawings for Hansen before coming up with the finished product.

The patch incorporates the Seven Sacred Teachings; with images of the animals and the teachings they symbolize in a heptagon shape. The patch also includes an image of the Grandmother Moon and Hansen’s astronaut wings.

“I just hope everyone enjoys the patch and what it symbolizes,” Guimond said.

Guimond and Hansen met at the Turtle Lodge Centre of Excellence in Indigenous Education and Wellness in Sagkeeng several years ago following an Indigenous ceremony.

The patch was also designed in consultation with Elder Dave Courchene III.

In a 2024 vlog posted on the Canadian Space Agency’s site, Hansen spoke of the importance of Guimond’s patch and its personal meaning to him.

“The patch reminds me to aspire to walk on this journey with respect, love, courage, humility, honesty, wisdom, and truth,” he said. “They are just simple values that we can all resonate with and can use as a guiding star to help us live better lives on this planet.”

Guimond has been following the Artemis II mission since liftoff on April 1 and said he never thought any of his art pieces would one day travel to space.

“I never expected anything of this magnitude,” he said.

The Artemis II mission is doing a fly-by of the moon Monday afternoon and evening for seven hours, observing the lunar surface for several hours, with the closest approach to the moon reaching 4,070 miles above the surface. The crew will also be able to observe a solar eclipse from space.

The astronauts are scheduled to return to Earth on April 10.

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