Topic – Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield may be the most famous astronaut in the world today. His music video “Space Oddity,” which he performed aboard the International Space Station, has made him a celebrity. But there is much more to Chris Hadfield than his singing.

Biography

Chris Hadfield was born August 29, 1959, in Sarnia, Ontario, and raised in Milton, Ontario. Chris is married to Helene Hadfield. They have three children.

Chris joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1978. He became a fighter pilot, flying many types of aircraft for both Canada and the United States. During his time in the armed forces, he received a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1982 and a master’s degree in aviation systems in 1992.

In 1992, Chris was selected as an astronaut by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). He was one of four chosen from 5330 applicants. He was assigned to work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) space centre in Houston, Texas. He also worked in the Russian Space Program as Director of Operations for NASA.

Chris has participated in three space missions. The first was in 1995 when he was a mission specialist on NASA’s space shuttle mission to dock with the Russian space station Mir. He became the only Canadian ever to board the Mir space station. He was a mission specialist in 2001 on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) where he helped install the Canadarm2, a new robotic arm. On this mission, he became the first Canadian to walk in space. In 2012, he travelled aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS, where he stayed for five months.

Chris retired from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in 2013. He has recently published a book called An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth. In the book, he describes his experiences in space and what he has learned about life by being an astronaut.

Chris has always been known for his enthusiasm. During his last mission to space, he commanded the ISS for the last few months of his stay. This is what he said before leaving on the mission: “To be able to command the space station, yes, it is professional, and yes, I’ll take it seriously, and yes, it is important for Canada, but for me, as just a Canadian kid, it makes me want to shout and laugh and do cartwheels.”

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