Chris Hadfield

Chris Austin Hadfield
Chris Austin Hadfield, ASTRONAUT (born at Sarnia, Ont 29 Aug 1959). Hadfield's father, Roger, was a pilot with Air Canada and also flew his own aerobatic plane. Hadfield and his brothers David and Philip were air cadets and his brothers went on to become airline pilots. Hadfield opted for the military and graduated from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont, earning a degree in mechanical engineering, and later received an MSc in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee in 1992.

Watch highlights of the milestone Transfer of Command ceremony that made Chris Hadfield the first Canadian Commander of the International Space Station.

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Hadfield's distinguished career as a pilot began with 3 years flying CF-18s with Canadian Forces 425 Squadron in Québec. In 1985, he was the first CF-18 pilot to intercept a Soviet "Bear" aircraft in Canadian airspace. He next attended the US Air Force's test pilot ("top gun") school in California, where he was honoured as the best graduate of 1988. The following year, he became a Canadian exchange officer at the US Naval Air Test Center in Patuxent River, Maryland - a famous breeding ground for US astronauts. His highly risky work pushing high-performance aircraft out of control and finding ways to recover them earned him the US Navy's test pilot of the year award in 1991.

A revised version of David Bowie's Space Oddity, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station.

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Training
In June 1992, Hadfield was selected, along with 3 others, from among 5330 applicants for the CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY (CSA). He and Marc GARNEAU were assigned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to train astronauts who operate shuttle systems, including the CANADARM, and perform spacewalks. Hadfield became the first Canadian among the support team at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He also participated in redesigning and modernizing the cockpit displays for the shuttle's flight deck instruments.

Spaceflights and Missions

STS-74

In November 1995, Hadfield flew on STS-74 as Mission Specialist 1 on the space shuttle Atlantis and was the primary Canadarm operator. It was the second of 7 planned dockings between the shuttle and the Russian space station Mir and one of the shuttle program's most technically complex missions. Hadfield played a key role in helping to assemble the tunnel that linked Atlantis with Mir. Using the Canadarm, he lifted the 4100-kg Russian-built docking module out of its cradle, tilted it to a vertical position and aligned it just a few centimetres over the entry hatch leading inside the shuttle. Once the tunnel was installed, the 4 Americans and one Canadian on Atlantis mingled with the 2 Russians and one German on Mir. Hadfield was the first Canadian mission specialist, the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit, and the only Canadian to board Mir. A musician himself, Hadfield brought the Mir crew a special gift: a compact guitar with earphones.

After his flight, Hadfield was assigned to be "CAPCOM" (Capsule Communicator in Mission Control) for mission STS-77, on which Marc Garneau flew as a mission specialist in May 1996. Hadfield was NASA's Chief CAPCOM for 25 shuttle missions. From 1996-2000 he was the chief astronaut for the CSA.

STS-100

In April 2001 Hadfield was Mission Specialist 1 on STS-100 International Space Station (ISS) assembly Flight 6A. The crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour delivered and installed Canadarm2 and the Italian-made resupply module Raffaello. During the 11-day flight, Hadfield performed 2 spacewalks, the first Canadian to do so. In total, he spent 14 hours, 54 minutes outside the spacecraft, travelling 10 times around the world.

Cosmonaut

Hadfield's next posting was to Star City, Russia, where from 2001-2003 he was the Director of Operations for NASA at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC). His work included coordinating and directing all International Space Station crew activities in Russia, overseeing crew and support staff training, and negotiating policy with the Russian space program and international partners.

ISS Operations

In 2003, after 25 years with the Canadian Air Force and having attained the rank of colonel, Hadfield became a civilian CSA astronaut assigned to positions at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, 2003-2008.

Between 2008 and 2009, Hadfield was the backup for Dr. Bob THIRSK for Expedition 20/21, a long-duration spaceflight, training to live and work for up to 6 months on board the ISS. After that assignment, he supported the ISS Operations Branch and developed emergency procedures for the ISS.

NEEMO

NASA initiated the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) program in 2001, conducting undersea missions at an underwater facility off the coast of Florida to test concepts of exploration and living in extreme environments. Chris Hadfield commanded NEEMO 14, in May 2010, using the ocean floor to simulate exploration missions to asteroids, moons and Mars to gain a better understanding of how astronauts interact with equipment including advanced spacesuits, a lander, a rover and robotic arms.

Pavilion Lake

In June 2010, Hadfield was part of the research team at Pavilion Lake, 420 km northeast of Vancouver. It is one of the few places on Earth where microbialites are found. Hadfield's role was to understand how the microbialites formed to possibly make it easier to identify potential forms of life on future missions to Mars.

Expedition 34/35

In September 2010, Chris Hadfield was assigned to Expedition 34/35, to be conducted in 2012. He will launch aboard the Russian Soyuz to take part in a long-duration spaceflight aboard the ISS. In March 2013, during the second portion of his 6-month stay in space, he will be the first Canadian to command a spaceship when he becomes the commander of the International Space Station.

Author LYDIA DOTTO Revised: LAURA NEILSON

Suggested Reading
Lydia Dotto, "Man on a Mission," Equinox Magazine 14, 5 (1995).

Links to Other Sites
Chris Hadfield Astronaut Mission
Follow astronaut Chris Hadfield's 2013 mission on the International Space Station. From the Canadian Space Agency.

Canadian Chris Hadfield blasts off into space for 3rd time
A CBC News story about astronaut Chris Hadfield, the 1st Canadian commander of the International Space Station. See also media clips of Hadfield working in space.

Chris Hadfield Astronaut Mission - Expedition 34/35
This multimedia site is devoted to astronaut Chris Hadfield's mission to the International Space Station in 2012 - 2013. From the Canadian Space Agency.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield on a spacewalk, mission STS-100
A photograph of Chris Hadfield in a space suit during a spacewalk. Click on the link to the right of the image to view his biography. From the Canadian Space Agency.

Live-ISS-Stream
NASA's HD Live video from the International Space Station including internal views when the crew is on-duty and Earth views at other times. The video is accompanied by audio of conversations between the crew and Mission Control.

Chris Hadfield and Ed Robertson prepare to premiere a song from space
A blog about Ed Robertson and Chris Hadfield teaming up to write the song for Music Monday, a day to celebrate the importance of music and education. From CBC Music.