Chris Hadfield is a retired Canadian astronaut, fighter pilot and author, born in Sarnia, Ontario, in 1959. He flew to space three times and in 2013 became the first Canadian to command the International Space Station, where his photos, videos and cover of David Bowie’s Space Oddity reached millions of people.
Brian Rose has interviewed Hadfield twice on London Real, in 2016 and 2023, and a short clip about Bowie from the first interview was released when the singer died. They have talked about how seeing Earth from orbit changes your thinking, sharing space with the public, his bestselling memoir and his Cold War thrillers, artificial intelligence, space travel and UFOs.
Each episode is listed below in order with a short summary.
Lessons From An Astronaut (2016). The best introduction to his outlook: what living in orbit teaches you about Earth and about making decisions. For his novels and newer topics, watch the 2023 interview.
Speaking in 2016, Hadfield said that seeing the whole planet from orbit lets you feel how connected and dependent on each other people are. He argues that the bigger and clearer your perspective, the better the decisions you make.
As station commander in 2013 he posted photos and videos from orbit almost daily. He told Brian Rose he felt a duty to share views that very few people will ever see, and that it showed space flight as a human experience rather than a dry scientific one.
In the Bowie clip he explains that singing Space Oddity in orbit gave the song new meaning for him, and that the power of a song lies in how each listener relates to the words.
In 2023 he discussed his Cold War thrillers The Apollo Murders and The Defector, which draw on his years as a test and fighter pilot and his knowledge of the space programme.
Chris Hadfield is a retired Canadian astronaut, fighter pilot and author, born in Sarnia, Ontario, in 1959. In 2013 he commanded the International Space Station and became known worldwide for his photos and his cover of Space Oddity.
Across two interviews in 2016 and 2023, Hadfield talked about the perspective you gain from orbit, sharing space on social media, David Bowie, his memoir, his thrillers The Apollo Murders and The Defector, artificial intelligence, space travel and UFOs.
Start with Lessons From An Astronaut from 2016 for his core ideas. Then watch the 2023 interview for his novels and his views on AI and the future of space travel.
Twice, in January 2016 and March 2023. A short clip about David Bowie, Goodbye David Bowie, was taken from the first interview and released in January 2016.
Yes. He recorded a version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity on board the International Space Station, and the video was released in May 2013. He talks about it in the Goodbye David Bowie clip.
His books include the memoir An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, the photo book You Are Here, the children’s book The Darkest Dark, and the thrillers The Apollo Murders, The Defector and Final Orbit.
Official site: chrishadfield.ca
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