Chris Hadfield - Canadian Scientist

In 1992, Chris Hadfield became one of the four people who were accepted by the Canadian Space Agency selected from over 5300 candidates. Since then he was the first Canadian to conduct a spacewalk, flown two space shuttle missions and is currently the commander of the International Space Station.

As of now, Chris Hadfield is the commander of the International Space Station. Chris Hadfield's qualifications include two previous space shuttle missions as a Mission Specialist I both on STS-74 and STS-100. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Royal Military College. In addition, he is a former Royal Canadian Air Force pilot, flying the CF-116 and the CF-18 aircraft in his service time. Moreover, Chris Hadfield has flown over seventy different types of aircraft in his lifetime.

I am interested in Chris Hadfield for many reasons, one of them being that the both of us share a common interest in aviation. Flying various aircraft has always been a goal in my life, and Chris Hadfield has not only flown his own light aircraft, he has flown large fighter jets, and spacecraft. Hadfield also interests me because he motivates me that I can pretty much do whatever I set my mind to. When he applied to the Canadian Space Agency in 1992, his chances of getting in were almost non-existent. The Canadian Space Agency was accepting four people out of a whopping five thousand three hundred thirty that applied. Chris Hadfield has also done the one thing that every kid dreams about at least once in his lifetime, going to outer space. When I was a little kid I always imagined that I would go to space someday. I don’t know exactly why this thought appears in the head of kids all over the world. Maybe it’s just because some kids want the opportunity to feel prolonged weightlessness, chase balls of water all around the place, or just see first-hand what lies beyond the compounds of planet Earth. My point is Chris Hadfield has done what kids all around the world dream of, he has been on two space shuttle missions and participated in space walks.

Chris Hadfield participates in many projects on NASA missions. Although not doing much research, Chris Hadfield has helped the world of science move on. For instance, on his second space shuttle mission, STS-100, he helped assemble the Canadarm2. The Canadarm2 performs various tasks in space that would be impossible by man power alone. It can life heavy parts and place them very accurately exactly where they need to go. It also helps move supplies and equipment around the International Space Station. Without Canadarm2 large maintenance jobs on the International Space Station would be nearly impossible. In addition, Chris Hadfield helped deliver many parts to the Russian Mir Space Station on his first space shuttle mission STS-74.

Even though the technology that Chris Hadfield helped install in space will be outdated and replaced by larger more versatile machines, Chris Hadfield will always be remembered as the astronaut that could accomplish anything. Starting out in the air force, he had almost no chance of landing his job at the Canadian Space Agency, but today, he is commanding the International Space Station.