The best of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield

Originally published May 6, 2013

TORONTO – Chris Hadfield and his crew returned safely home to Earth Monday.

In mid-March, the Canadian astronaut took command of the International Space Station after arriving with Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn at the station in December.

Hadfield’s colourful and detailed images—as well as his interaction with the world through live chats and video—have received international attention and helped him gain over 905,000 Twitter followers.

Here’s a look at some notable Chris Hadfield moments in space.

When he sang Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’

Even Kanye West could agree that Hadfield’s rendition of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” is easily one “one of the best videos of all time.”

While floating around in zero gravity aboard the International Space Station, Hadfield gives a whole new meaning to the song’s lyrics “And I’m floating  in a most peculiar way, And the stars look very different today,” and “Here am I floating round my tin can, far above the Moon, Planet Earth is blue, And there’s nothing I can do.”

Since being posted on his YouTube channel on Sunday, the video has over half a million views and is described by many fans as being, “out of this world” (because, you know, we’ve never heard that line before).

When he misquoted Yoda

On Star Wars Day, aka May 4^th, Hadfield misquoted Yoda’s most famous line in a tweet. In the film The Empire Strikes back, Yoda tells Luke to “Do. Or do not do. There is no try.”

Hadfield tweeted the following:

While many fans pointed out the mistake, Mashable’s Pete Cashmore echoed most fans opinions on Twitter by stating Hadfield had enough geek cred to get away with the error.

When Hadfield made an “out of this world” sandwich

Say goodbye to eating food from tubes and dehydrated packages and say hello to free-floating, tumbling tortillas.

In February, Hadfield showed us just how much space food has advanced in recent years by making a peanut butter and honey sandwich is his space kitchen.

Watch Hadfield’s culinary skills below:

When he chatted live from space with Shatner

On February 7, Trekkies around the world were delighted when Canadian-born actor of Star Trek fame William Shatner spoke with Hadfield.

The actor asked Hadfield about his hopes for space travel, as well as his fears, and the emotions he felt staring at Earth from space.

Shatner also quipped that if he flopped while performing the worst thing that could happen is he might sweat a little bit. “In your case,” he told Hadfield, “you burn up.”

Watch the video below:

YOUR THOUGHTS: What is your favourite Chris Hadfield moment? Let us know on our Facebook page here.

When he showed us how to brush your teeth…in space

If you think brushing your teeth is already difficult and a nuisance, try doing it in zero gravity.

In April, Hadfield offered various tooth brushing tips and let us know what he did with the toothpaste in his mouth after he was finished.

READ MORE: Harper chats with astronaut Chris Hadfield

Watch the video:

And if the thought of cleaning your teeth suddenly wants to make you cry, here’s a look at how your tears would look like in space:

When he declared his love for the Leafs

Hadfield likely gained quite a few fans (or lost some) after tweeting a photo of himself holding a Toronto Maple Leafs plaque.

During the NHL lockout back in January, Hadfield said he was “ready to cheer from orbit.”

Former Montreal La Presse sports reporter Jean-Francois Begin jokingly warned Hadfield to be careful next time he flies over Montreal, while Canadian actress Keegan Connor Tracy, who has starred in a number of TV series, said Hadfield is proof the disappointment of being a Leafs fan now extends all the way into outer space.

When he officially took command of the International Space Station 

Hadfield made history when he became the first Canadian to take command of the International Space Station in March.

“Thank you very much for giving me the keys to the family car,” said Hadfield shortly after taking control.

Watch the video below:

When he hosted a Reddit AMA

Using a laptop to field questions, Hadfield answered questions from users from the website Reddit in an “Ask Me Anything” discussion in February. The conversation drew in over 7,600 comments and queries.

When asked by Global News BC web producer Yuliya Talmazan what NASA and other space agencies and astronauts need to do in order to keep people informed and interested in the science of space exploration, Hadfield answered with the following:

“There’s always positive and negative. We lost a crew early in Apollo, and the last 2 Moon landings were cancelled even though the rockets were built. Skylab decayed and fell from the sky before the Shuttle could be made ready to fly.

We’ve endured accidents, budget cycles, and many naysayers. But meanwhile we have accomplished countless acts of magnificence, from walking on the Moon to Hubble teaching us about the universe, to international cooperation, to Curiosity drilling on Mars, to permanently leaving Earth on ISS.

I’m working as hard as I can to help that all happen, and have been for 20 years. It’s hard to leave home, but we’re managing to do it as a species, regardless. Pretty amazing.”

– With a file from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press