Chris Hadfield

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Lore & Background

Chris Hadfield was raised on a corn farm in Southern Ontario. He became interested in flying at a young age and decided to become an astronaut at age nine, when he watched the Apollo 11 Moon landing on television. He attended White Oaks Secondary School in Oakville, Ontario, until his senior year and then graduated as an Ontario Scholar from Milton District High School in 1977. As a member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, he earned a glider pilot scholarship at age 15 and a powered pilot scholarship at age 16. After graduating from high school in 1978, he joined the Canadian Armed Forces and spent two years at Royal Roads Military College followed by two years at the Royal Military College of Canada, where he received a B.Eng. degree (with honours) in mechanical engineering in 1982. He also conducted post-graduate research at the University of Waterloo in 1982. In May 1992, he graduated with an M.Sc. degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee Space Institute, where his thesis concerned high-angle attack aerodynamics of the F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet. He flew CF-18 Hornets with 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron, flying intercept missions for NORAD, and was the first CF-18 pilot to intercept a Soviet Tupolev Tu 95 long-range bomber in the Canadian Arctic. He attended the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base and was the Distinguished Graduate and winner of the Liethen-Tittle Award for the Outstanding Graduate in 1988. He later served as an exchange officer with the US Navy, testing the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet and LTV A-7 Corsair II aircraft, and completing the first military flight of F/A-18 enhanced performance engines. In total, he has flown over 70 different types of aircraft. In June 1992, Hadfield was selected to become one of four new Canadian astronauts from a field of 5,330 applicants. He first flew in space in November 1995 as a mission specialist aboard STS-74, visiting the Russian space station Mir. He flew again in April 2001 on STS-100, when he visited the ISS and performed two spacewalks to help install Canadarm2, becoming the first Canadian to ever leave a spacecraft and float freely in space. During his first spacewalk, Hadfield experienced severe eye irritation due to the anti-fog solution used to polish his spacesuit visor, temporarily blinding him and forcing him to vent oxygen into space. In December 2012, he launched aboard Soyuz TMA-07M to join Expedition 34 on the ISS. When Expedition 34 ended in March 2013, Hadfield became the commander of the ISS as part of Expedition 35, responsible for a crew of five astronauts and helping to run dozens of scientific experiments dealing with the impact of low gravity on human biology. During this mission, he chronicled life onboard the space station by taking pictures of Earth and posting them on various social media platforms, and gained popularity by playing the ISS's guitar in space. He returned to Earth in May 2013, when the mission ended. He announced his retirement shortly after returning, capping a 35-year-long career as a military pilot and astronaut.

Reader's Guide

Chris Hadfield's significance lies in his role as a pioneer of Canadian spaceflight and a public ambassador for space exploration. As the first Canadian to walk in space and command the International Space Station, he demonstrated Canada's growing capability in human spaceflight. His use of social media during Expedition 35, sharing images of Earth and daily life aboard the ISS, helped humanize space travel and inspired a global audience. Hadfield's career also bridged military aviation and civilian space exploration, reflecting the integration of test pilot skills with astronaut duties. His legacy includes advancing international cooperation on the ISS, particularly through his work with Russian and American space agencies, and his popular autobiography, 'An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth,' which became a New York Times bestseller. He remains an advocate for future crewed missions to Mars.

Did You Know?

• Hadfield was the first CF-18 pilot to intercept a Soviet Tupolev Tu 95 long-range bomber in the Canadian Arctic.
• During his first spacewalk on STS-100, Hadfield experienced severe eye irritation from anti-fog solution, temporarily blinding him and forcing him to vent oxygen into space.
• Hadfield earned a glider pilot scholarship at age 15 and a powered pilot scholarship at age 16 as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.
• He was the Distinguished Graduate and winner of the Liethen-Tittle Award for the Outstanding Graduate at the US Air Force Test Pilot School in 1988.
• Hadfield was the only Canadian ever to board the Russian space station Mir.