After spending five months aboard the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield announced his retirement from public service at Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in Longueuil, Quebec.
“I’ve decided to retire from government service,” Hadfield said.
On Monday Hadfield joined Chris Alexander, Minister of Parliament of Ajax-Pickering and Gilles Leclerc, CSA’s acting president, where he spoke about his life in space.
Hadfield took the stage Monday afternoon and thanked the CSA.
“I owe an eternal and enormous debt to the people who made this possible…and to allow the public to share in this,” Hadfield said of the mission.
Hadfield showed a video presentation of his mission where he chronicled the entire mission from training to landing. He described his training, which, he says, was 20 years, the length of his career as an astronaut.
Speaking about his life aboard the station, he said, “The real special place is the cupola,” he said. “When you go down into the cupola, suddenly the world explodes in front of you. The visual impact is overwhelming.”
“I think I took 45,000 pictures.”
Hadfield thanked the CSA for helping him post 140 videos, that he said are believed to have been viewed 130 million times. “To see the world in a different perspective.”
Hadfield became an international celebrity while on the ISS, using various forms of social media to share his views and musing from space. He continues to post those photos on Twitter.
VIDEO: Minna Rhee takes a look back on Chris Hadfield’s time in space.
About his retirement, Hadfield said, “I have served my country for longer than most…It just seemed a logical and natural progression.
“I’m really looking forward to the time off and time with my family,” he said. “It’s been a very demanding 21 years… hugely rewarding,”
This final mission aboard the ISS was one that Hadfield considered to be the most important of his career.
“It’s been an incredible adventure…it’s been the pinnacle of my career,” Hadfield said.
“I’m finally moving back to Canada, keeping my feet on the ground…And I’m looking forward for the next phase of life.”
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