NASA is gearing up to launch humans, including a Canadian astronaut, on a mission to the moon after more than fifty years. This upcoming Artemis II mission is set to take off next week, sending four astronauts, with Canadian Jeremy Hanson among them, on a 10-day journey around the moon for surveillance, testing, and experiments in preparation for future missions, including Artemis III’s return to the lunar surface.
Canadian singer-songwriter Emm Gryner is commemorating this mission with a new song titled “Touch the Sky.” The accompanying music video for the song was directed, shot, and edited by Thunder Bay-born filmmaker Laura-Lynn Petrick, who described the experience as her own “Stanley Kubrick moment.”
The music video was a collaborative effort shot at various locations, including Belluz Farms near Thunder Bay and Sarnia, featuring Gryner’s performance at a piano. Gryner shared that the song was inspired by her friendship with Catherine Hansen, Jeremy’s wife, and the idea of creating a song for his upcoming moon mission.
The video also incorporates footage from NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and Hansen’s training, adding depth to the storytelling. Petrick expressed her excitement about the project, highlighting the cinematic perspective she brought to the scientific content, capturing moments reminiscent of achievement and dreams coming true.
Both Petrick and Gryner expressed satisfaction with the final product, emphasizing the tribute to Hansen’s work rather than personal vanity. Gryner mentioned that all proceeds from the song will be donated to the Bluewater Health Foundation in Sarnia.
The collaboration between Petrick and Gryner, long in the making, culminated in a visually stunning and thematically resonant music video that celebrates space exploration and the dedication of astronauts like Jeremy Hansen.