50 Fun Facts About Chris Hadfield

In which Ontario city was he born?

The city's airport was renamed Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport in 1997.

Which televised event at age nine made him decide to become an astronaut?

He watched it from a corn farm in southern Ontario.

Through which youth organisation did he earn his glider pilot licence?

He won the glider scholarship at 15 and a powered-flight scholarship at 16.

In which discipline did he take his honours degree at the Royal Military College in 1982?

He spent two years at Royal Roads first and graduated with honours.

Which fighter jet did he fly on NORAD intercept missions?

He was the first CF-18 pilot to intercept a Soviet Tu-95 bomber in the Canadian Arctic.

Which Soviet bomber did he become the first CF-18 pilot to intercept in the Arctic?

The propeller-driven 'Bear' was a regular visitor to the edge of Canadian airspace.

Where did he attend the US Air Force Test Pilot School?

He graduated top of his class in 1988 and won the Liethen-Tittle Award.

Where did he earn his master's degree in aviation systems in 1992?

His thesis dealt with high-angle-of-attack aerodynamics of the F/A-18.

Roughly how many different aircraft types has he flown?

As an exchange test pilot with the US Navy he flew the F/A-18 and A-7 Corsair II.

How many applicants did he beat to become one of four new Canadian astronauts in 1992?

Julie Payette and Dafydd Williams were selected alongside him.

For how many Space Shuttle missions did he serve as NASA's chief CAPCOM?

CAPCOM is the voice of mission control to astronauts in orbit.

Which space station did he visit on his first flight, STS-74, in 1995?

He remains the only Canadian ever to have boarded it.

Which Space Shuttle flew the STS-74 mission?

The crew attached a five-tonne docking module to the Russian station.

What milestone did he achieve for Canada on STS-74?

He was also the only Canadian ever to go aboard Mir.

What did he help install on the International Space Station during STS-100 in 2001?

The mission also delivered the Italian-made Raffaello resupply module.

Which Shuttle carried him on STS-100?

The 11-day flight was ISS assembly flight 6A.

How many spacewalks did he perform on STS-100?

Together they lasted 14 hours 50 minutes and took him ten times around the world.

What temporarily blinded him during his first spacewalk?

He had to vent oxygen into space to clear his eyes and later told the story in a TED talk.

How long in total did he spend outside on his STS-100 spacewalks?

He circled the Earth ten times while outside.

In which Russian town was he NASA's director of operations from 2001 to 2003?

He qualified there as a Soyuz flight engineer and to spacewalk in the Russian Orlan suit.

Which Russian spacesuit was he qualified to spacewalk in?

The Sokol is the pressure suit worn inside Soyuz, not for spacewalks.

At what rank did he retire from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2003?

He had served 25 years.

He commanded which underwater NASA mission aboard the Aquarius lab in 2010?

The crew lived and worked underwater for fourteen days.

Which spacecraft carried him to the ISS in December 2012?

He launched on December 19 and docked two days later.

Which numbered ISS crew did he command in 2013?

It was the first time a Canadian had commanded the station.

How large was the crew he was responsible for as ISS commander?

They ran dozens of experiments on how low gravity affects human biology.

To whom did he hand over command of the ISS in May 2013?

He departed on May 13, 2013, after five months aboard.

Which David Bowie song did he famously perform in a video recorded on the ISS?

It was the first music video recorded in space; the ending was changed so Major Tom lands safely.

Who arranged the piano part for his ISS music video?

Gryner had toured with Bowie in 1999–2000.

Why was his Bowie cover video taken offline in May 2014?

Bowie himself wanted it licensed for free; it returned that November with a two-year deal.

Which magazine analysed the legal implications of performing copyrighted music in orbit?

Glenn Fleishman wrote the piece on May 22, 2013.

What was the first song he recorded in space, released on Christmas Eve 2012?

He used the Larrivée Parlor guitar already aboard the station.

With which Barenaked Ladies member did he write 'Is Somebody Singing?'

The song's initials spell I.S.S. and it aired on CBC Radio's Q.

What was the title of his 2015 album recorded aboard the ISS?

It came two years after his retirement.

Which family member managed his social media during his ISS mission?

Forbes called him perhaps the most social-media-savvy astronaut ever.

Which Canadian banknote did he help unveil by video from the ISS in 2013?

It was part of the Bank of Canada's polymer Frontier Series.

What was the title of his 2013 bestselling autobiography?

He says it began as a rundown of talks he had given over 21 years.

His 2021 debut novel was a Cold War thriller called what?

Sequels The Defector and Final Orbit followed in 2023 and 2025.

Which institution did he join as a professor for a three-year term from 2014?

He had done postgraduate research there back in 1982.

Which BBC show did he host in 2017, judging would-be space travellers?

Twelve contestants faced hypoxia and centrifuge tests drawn from real agency training.

Which spaceflight company added him to its Space Advisory Board in 2021?

Former astronaut Sandra Magnus joined at the same time.

Which NHL team's jersey did he wear under his spacesuit during his 2013 re-entry?

He later sang the national anthem at a Leafs–Canadiens game in 2014.

What object was named 14143 Hadfield in his honour?

A bee species, Andrena hadfieldi, was also named after him in 2020.

What type of creature discovered in 2020 was named Andrena hadfieldi after him?

He also has an asteroid, two schools and an airport named for him.

What is the name of the astronaut band in which he sings and plays guitar?

Max Q is also the term for the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure during launch.

Which monarch met him at Buckingham Palace in 2023 to discuss space sustainability?

Elizabeth II had sent him a personal message when he took ISS command.

His 2016 children's picture book was titled what?

It was illustrated by Terry and Eric Fan.

In which year did he announce his retirement from the Canadian Space Agency?

It came one month after his third and final trip to space.

He was the second ISS commander from neither NASA nor Roscosmos, after which ESA astronaut?

De Winne commanded Expedition 21 in 2009.

What award did his autobiography win in 2014?

It was also a New York Times bestseller in December 2013.