Chris Hadfield
Early Life and Education
Chris Austin Hadfield was born on August 29, 1959, in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. He was raised on a corn farm in southern Ontario and became interested in flying at a young age. 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. Hadfield graduated as an Ontario Scholar from Milton District High School in 1977.
He later attended the RMC in Kingston, Ontario, where he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1982. During his time at RMC, Hadfield learned to fly various types of aircraft and eventually became a fighter pilot for the CAF, flying missions for NORAD. He also flew as a test pilot for the U.S. Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Military Career
Hadfield's military career spanned 25 years, during which he flew over 70 different types of aircraft. He was the first CF-18 pilot to intercept a Soviet long-range bomber that was flying over Canadian airspace in the Arctic in the late 1980s. He also served as an exchange officer with the U.S. Navy at the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1988.
In 1992, Hadfield was selected to become one of four new CSA astronauts from a field of 5330 applicants. He was assigned to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch and the Astronaut Office ISS Operations Branch.
Space Missions
Hadfield's first space mission was STS-74 in November 1995, where he visited the Russian space station Mir. During this mission, he became the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit, and the only Canadian ever to board Mir.
His second spaceflight, STS-100 in April 2001, saw Hadfield perform two spacewalks, making him the first Canadian to ever leave a spacecraft and float freely in space. During these spacewalks, Hadfield installed the new Canadarm2 onto the ISS.
In December 2012, Hadfield flew for a third time aboard Soyuz TMA-07M and joined Expedition 34 on the ISS. He was a part of a five-month mission on the station, during which he became the first Canadian to command the ISS (Expedition 35).
Post-NASA Career
After retiring from CSA in 2013, Hadfield became a professor of aviation at the University of Waterloo. He has also written several books, including "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth", "You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes", and "The Darkest Dark". Hadfield is a popular science communicator and public speaker, focusing on inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers.
Personal Life
Hadfield is married to his high school sweetheart, Helene, and they have three adult children. He enjoys playing guitar and singing, and he famously recorded a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" while aboard the ISS, which has been viewed millions of times on YouTube.