An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

The author charts the course of his career as an astronaut, detailing how he overcame slim odds on account of his Canadian nationality to become one of NASA's most decorated astronauts while offering an intimate look at life in space.

Chris Hadfield is one of the most seasoned and accomplished astronauts in the world. In May, Hadfield returned to Earth after serving as Commander of the International Space Station, where he and his crew lived for six months (it was his third trip). The top graduate of the U.S. Air Force test pilot school in 1988 and U.S. Navy test pilot of the year in 1991, Hadfield was selected to be an astronaut in 1992. He served as Director of NASA Operations in Star City, Russia from 2001-2003, Chief of Robotics at the Johnson Space Center in Houston from 2003-2006 and Chief of International Space Station Operations there from 2006-2008. The former President of the Association of Space Explorers (2007-2011), Hadfield is also a fully qualified flight engineer cosmonaut, is fluent in Russian, and is designated a "specialist" on all Space Station systems, meaning that he has earned the highest qualification level possible for every imaginable task onboard.