Chris Hadfield

I’m delighted by the elegant, efficient origami art of an unfolded box. Purposeful design and technology that we take for granted, yet enabling so many things. And it looks like a robot.

A significant announcement coming from NASA about Moon landings.
Simplify the rocket, increase # of Artemis flights, launch them at least 1 per year.
Meanwhile the SLS rocket is back in the barn getting its helium flow fixed and new batteries. Hopefully launch the crew of 4 to the Moon in a month.

Flying a spaceship up to dock with a space station is an extreme event.
Our range sensors failed, so we had to use eyeball visuals & a stopwatch to figure the angles & speeds. Hit too hard or crooked & we could have broken the space station, killing its crew.
An incredibly tense final 10 minutes.

The best way to simulate weightlessness is to train underwater, in NASA's 40-ft deep pool.
The safety divers attach weights/foam to our spacesuits so the buoyancy is perfectly neutral, even when upside down or sideways. It's an art.
The years of expert preparation made my spacewalks feel familiar.

Wearing my ⁦@teamcanadaforever.bsky.social jersey all day today, honouring the superb athletes who competed on the world stage & made us all so proud. I especially loved seeing their parents, emotion on their faces showing the years of work & our shared humanity of hopes & dreams together.

Yes I did

How do rockets work?
A fire extinguisher is just a small rocket nozzle; a chair & cart make a good spaceship.
Does it work in space with no air to push against? The mass blasting out makes me roll. Doesn't need any backstop. Newton's 2nd law.
Good to have a landing plan - thanks @uwaterloo.ca!

YouTube video by NASA NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test (Official Feed)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KYhqePsm38

I'm watching two things live today while trying to work:
** Women's hockey Olympic final **
** Artemis Moon rocket filling with fuel **
I'm on the edge of my seat, wishing both complete success, but mostly - Go @teamcanadaforever.bsky.social !!!

This is a wild moment inside the cockpit, just 2 mins after leaving Florida.
There's a sudden blast of pyrotechnics. Even though we're going Mach 5, the air's so thin the explosion arches out in front of the windows.
I've done it twice, Atlantis & Endeavour.
A great start to an amazing adventure.

Leaving tomorrow for 8 months off-world.
Life is deceptively normal. Just another day in years of training. You can't let yourself believe it, or it would drive you nuts.
But suddenly the engines shut off. You're there, weightless, the planet & doubts behind you.
Watch youtu.be/zCM-Kwq91cc #NASA

Such a horrific tragedy in Tumbler Ridge. I can’t imagine the shock and grief for everyone there, and pray that the wounded survive. Dealing with the aftermath will be so incredibly hard. My heart aches for the families and community.

Why are Magnolia flowers so thick?
They evolved before bees - had to be tough, for rougher bugs to pollinate.
Open all day to attract foraging beetles, they close at dusk. The trapped bug gets covered in new pollen & with dawn, beetles off.
Beetles like purple. I appreciate their ancient esthetic.

Some Seahawks have a bird's-eye view.

#SuperBowlLX @seahawksofficial.com

I love the Olympics games! The best of human capability & international competitive spirit, shared for everyone on Earth to see.
You can find all the Italian Alps venues in this image taken from space, plus the blue waters by Venice.
To zoom in: esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
(image: ESA Copernicus)

All of them are on audio: www.chrishadfield.ca/books/

Yes - I consult with many of them while writing, and their responses have been uniformly happy. Especially if they stay alive :)

Hi to fellow writers.
In my 2nd thriller, The Defector, a key tech for the plot is nuclear thermal rockets. They're real, tested in the 60/70s, developed now for long space travel.
I most enjoy writing when fiction is so close to fact it's hard to tell the difference: www.chrishadfield.ca/books/

And how will we record it?

Almost a thousand years ago, someone carefully embroidered a fiery comet on a long strip of linen. I love the expressions of the guys pointing at it, and the man informing King Harold.
It was Halley's Comet, which orbits the Sun every 76 years.
universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2026...

and so small

We have never been 100% 'ready for launch.' It's a risky business. We have to judge when we're ready enough and then go, otherwise we'd never leave home.

Moon position
Free-return geometry
Launch azimuth from Florida
Safe Earth return timing
Thermal & power limits
Recovery logistics

Launch delayed 'til March due to hydrogen leaks, a balky hatch, need to launch a crew to Space Station, & geometry with the Moon.
Next opportunities: March 6, 7, 8, 9, 11.
Sorry, families. Another month of training & preparation to get it all right.
The Moon will patiently wait.
(photo NASA KSC)

Oh no - my heart goes out to Catherine O'Hara's family. Such a great Canadian example of grit, talent, originality and laughter-filled optimism. All the wonderful things you have done will live on. Rest in peace.
cbc.ca/news/enterta...

I don't know about you, but I'd like some Moonbits!
A warming snack while we wait for the cold weather to move through Florida. New launch date Sun 8 Feb: nasa.gov/blogs/missio...
@timhortonsofficial.bsky.social

It's about TIME we went back, to stay - great cover.

Moonbound soon! Reid, Christina, Jeremy & Vic are living in the NASA quarantine facility, ready to launch 9:41 PM EST on Friday 6 Feb.
Risking their lives for all who follow, as we start settling the Moon & beyond.
Artemis 2 will be test-fueled starting tomorrow.
(photo @NASA Robert Markowitz)

Good morning, Toronto. This is snow fooling around.

Suni Williams - astronaut, combat helicopter pilot, test pilot - is retiring after 27 years at NASA. She flew 4 rocketship types, did 9 spacewalks, spent 609 days in space and commanded the ISS.
I served as her backup for her 2nd spaceflight, and have nothing but respect. Suni's a powerhouse.