Hadfield has flown three space missions, built two space stations, performed two spacewalks, crewed the Shuttle and Soyuz, and in 2013 became the commander of the International Space Station for six months off planet.

Formerly NASA’s director of operations, Hadfield is a heavily decorated astronaut, engineer, and pilot whose many awards include the Order of Canada, the Meritorious Service Cross, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. He was named the Top Test Pilot in both the US Air Force and the US Navy and was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.

An internationally bestselling author, Hadfield has written five books: An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, You Are Here, his children’s book, The Darkest Dark, and The Apollo Murders and The Defector, thrillers set in space. He’s also released a musical album, Space Sessions: Songs From a Tin Can, and is featured on Ted.com for his talk, What I Learned from Going Blind in Space, which has been viewed more than 11 million times.

Hadfield is the co-creator and host of the internationally acclaimed BBC series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?, as well as the co-host, with actor Will Smith, of National Geographic’s One Strange Rock, directed by Darren Aronofsky. He also produces the celebrated Rare Earth series on YouTube and is the creator of the on-stage celebration Generator, which combines science, comedy, and music.

Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, an adviser to SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, and chair of the board of the Open Lunar Foundation, Chris leads the Space Stream at the Creative Destruction Lab, one of the world’s top tech incubators. A native of Ontario, Chris earned a BEng (honours) from the Royal Military College, and MSc (honours) from the University of Tennessee. He has also been awarded the Meritorious Service Cross (twice), and the Order of Canada.