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Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield wasn’t exactly anonymous before he blasted off on a Soyuz capsule in December, en route to the International Space Station. After all, he was the first Canadian to walk in space and has extensive experience working with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. But it’s safe to say most Canadians are more familiar with their hometown hockey stars than they are with the space star currently orbiting over their heads.
All that has started to change on this most recent mission though. Hadfield has taken social media to the stars (well, our solar system anyway), actively tweeting and updating his G+ account to show off the many photos of Earth he’s been taking from the space station. This led to a well-publicized Twitter exchange between Hadfield and Captain Kirk, er, William Shatner, to the delight of sci-fi fans everywhere.
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A Noctilucent Cloud - a rare super high altitude cloud barely visible from Earth, is seen at dawn in the mesosphere from ISS, in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 6, 2013 by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
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Cleveland and Toledo Ohio, Detroit Michigan, and Commander Chris Hadfield's birth place of Sarnia Ontario, is shown in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 5, 2013 by Hadfield.
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Kiev, Ukraine - an historic major crossing place of water, rail and road - is shown in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 4, 2013 by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
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Halifax N.S. is pictured from space on a crystal clear day in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 5, 2013 by Canadian astronaut Chris hadfield.
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The very northern tip of Newfoundland is seen with clouds rolling in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 4, 2013 by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. Narrow strait and the Labrador coast are seen at top right.
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The Baie-des-Chaleurs, separating Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula (top right) and New Brunswick's Acadian Peninsula (centre), is shown in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 4, 2013 by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. "The name means 'bay of warmth', but the fingers of ice disagree," notes the Hadfield.
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The Greek Island of Corfu is shown in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 7, 2013 by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
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Latakia, Syria is pictured in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 2, 2013 by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
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Corn rows of sand, tightly sculpted by wind, heat and time is shown in Saudi Arabia in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 7, 2013 by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
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Newfoundland and Labrador, shot without zoom, is shown in a photo posted on Twitter on Jan. 7, 2013 by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
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Fotos: NASA
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