Like millions of other users on Tumblr and Twitter, Chris Hadfield uploads photos and video of his everyday life onto his blog. But unlike anyone else out there, Col. Hadfield does it from low earth orbit aboard the International Space Station
Today, being in space doesn't necessitate being cut off from civilization, family, and human contact-- Hadfield has time to conduct live interviews and even drop the puck on the Toronto Maple Leafs game on January 21. This has only been possible since early 2010, when the ISS finally connected to the world wide web.
Shattering the image of aloof, serious space pioneers who say epic things such as "This is one small step for man, one huge leap for mankind," Hadfield is down-to-earth, humorous, and infinitely relatable. His first post on Tumblr, published January 15 this year, was a pre-launch photo featuring himself and two other astronauts, which garnered upwards of 4,000 notes. The tone of Hadfield's comments range from funny and whimsical to surreal and profound, while the photos themselves sometimes provide a crash course in geography, and sometimes gives viewers a taste of what life is like in space.
Hadfield, who is on a five-month mission aboard the ISS (Expedition 35 launched in December 2012), chatted live today with another famous Canadian-- William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame. They spoke about his hopes and fears for space travel, and exchanged several jokes. At the end of the interview, Shatner expressed regret that the time had run out and suggested they meet again on Earth over whiskey and a cigar.
Now chew on this: Hadfield said that in the 1960s, chatting with an astronaut in outer space was the stuff of science fiction. Within fifty years of that time, we now have astronauts livestreaming from space. He also took questions from 30 space enthusiasts, who were present with astronaut Jeremy Hansen in Montreal. If you missed the stream, you can catch it on YouTube via NASATelevision (the sound may be a bit hard to parse-- turn up the volume).
To stay updated on Hadfield, follow him on Tumblr and Twitter!
