Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield lands two book deal

“An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth”. That’s the name of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s new book, to be published by Random House Canada here at home and and by Little, Brown and Company elsewhere.

The book, which promises to take readers “deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible” will be released October 29th. A second book will follow, but the content and release date of it have not been revealed.

John Parsley, executive editor at Little Brown says Hadfield is a natural storyteller.

“That Chris Hadfield never lost his sense of wonder for the grand features and quirks of space is obvious to the millions who have watched the videos he beamed back from the International Space Station,” he said.

Sarnia-Ontario born Hadfield was one of five crew members of NASA’s Expedition 34. On December 21st of last year, he launched in the Soyuz TMA-07M flight for a long duration stay on board the International Space Station as part of Expedition 35. He subsequently became the first Canadian to command the ISS, and an international celebrity for his quirky and engaging manner. In June, following a 21-year career as an astronaut, the 53-year old Hadfield announced his retirement.

Hadfield’s career in space began in 1995, aboard NASA’s second space shuttle mission to dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. In 2001, he became the first Canadian ever to walk freely in space.

For Chris Hadfield the choice of Little Brown as publisher might have been a no-brainer. The company’s resume includes a 1970 book called “First On The Moon” -written by Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins.

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