Most people know Chris Hadfield as the astronaut who sang David Bowie in space, but the real story is far stranger — and far more practical. Over three missions and 166 days off the planet, he faced temporary blindness, commanded the International Space Station, and helped solve one of spaceflight’s least glamorous problems: how to go to the bathroom.

4 related posts

Spaceflights: 3 ·
Total days in space: 166 ·
Spacewalks: 2 ·
First Canadian ISS commander: 2013 ·
Retired from CSA: 2013

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • The exact duration of his temporary blindness during STS-74 is not widely documented (TED (personal account))
  • The specific chemical in the helmet anti-fog that caused the reaction is not publicly detailed (ABC News (report))
3Timeline signal
  • 1995: First spaceflight (STS-74), becomes first Canadian to walk in space (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About)
  • 2001: Second spaceflight (STS-100), first Canadarm operation (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About)
  • 2012-2013: ISS commander for Expedition 35 (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About)
  • 2013: Retires from CSA (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About)
4What’s next
  • Hadfield continues as author, public speaker, and professor at University of Waterloo (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About)
  • His books and talks influence future astronaut training and public space science literacy (The Profile (analysis))

Six key biographical facts, one pattern: Hadfield’s career follows a steady arc from test pilot to commander, with each mission adding a layer of responsibility.

Label Value
Full name Chris Austin Hadfield
Born August 29, 1959
Nationality Canadian
Occupation Retired astronaut, engineer, author
Space agency Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
Total space time 166 days

How many times did Chris Hadfield go to space?

Chris Hadfield flew three space missions in his career. His official biography confirms that he flew both Space Shuttle and Soyuz missions and helped build two space stations (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About (official biography)).

What missions did Chris Hadfield fly?

  • STS-74 (1995) — Space Shuttle Atlantis, NASA’s second docking mission to the Russian space station Mir (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About).
  • STS-100 (2001) — Space Shuttle Endeavour, delivered the Canadarm2 to the International Space Station (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About).
  • Expedition 34/35 (2012–2013) — Long-duration stay aboard the ISS, where he served as commander of Expedition 35 (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About).

The implication: each mission added technical and leadership complexity, from a two-week Shuttle flight to a six-month command tour in orbit.

Is Chris Hadfield still an astronaut?

No — Chris Hadfield retired from the Canadian Space Agency in 2013 after 21 years as an astronaut (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About (official biography)).

When did Chris Hadfield retire from the Canadian Space Agency?

He left the CSA in 2013, immediately after completing his tour as ISS commander. Since then he has worked as an author, public speaker, and educator, including a role as professor at the University of Waterloo (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About).

The catch: retirement from active duty doesn’t mean he’s left space science — his books and TED talks reach millions, arguably more than his in-orbit career did.

What happened to Chris Hadfield in space?

During his second spaceflight in 2001, while performing his first spacewalk, Hadfield experienced a sudden and alarming medical event: his left eye went blind. In a 2014 TED talk, he explained that anti-fog material from his helmet visor had seeped into his eye (TED (personal account)).

What was Chris Hadfield’s role on the ISS?

On Expedition 34/35 he served as commander of the International Space Station, overseeing science experiments, maintenance, and crew coordination. He also performed two spacewalks during his career (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About).

What experiments did he conduct?

Hadfield conducted Canadian and international science experiments aboard the station, including materials science, life sciences, and robotics demonstrations (YouTube playlist (NASA/CSA content)).

The pattern: these long-duration experiments provided crucial data for future Mars missions, but the blindness incident showed how quickly routine procedures can become life-threatening.

When did Chris Hadfield go blind in space?

The blindness episode occurred during his first spacewalk in 2001 (STS-100), not during his earlier flight in 1995 as some sources have suggested. ABC News reported that he described the incident as a temporary loss of vision while holding onto the ISS (ABC News (report)).

What caused Chris Hadfield’s temporary blindness?

Hadfield said that anti-fog chemical from his helmet’s inner visor got into his left eye. In the zero-gravity environment, tears cannot fall — they pool, turning the eye into a chemical soup. He eventually regained vision by continuing to cry, which gradually diluted the irritant (TED (personal account)).

Why this matters

The blindness wasn’t a catastrophic hardware failure — it was an unanticipated chemical reaction inside a sealed helmet. For space agencies planning multi-year missions to Mars, every contingency like this forces a redesign of the simplest gear.

The pattern: Hadfield’s training had simulated many failures, but a visor fogging chemical was not one of them. The lessons from this incident have since influenced helmet design and eye-protection protocols (ABC News).

How do astronauts go to the bathroom in space?

Few topics capture the public imagination like an astronaut’s bathroom routine. Hadfield’s missions involved the use of the ISS’s waste management system — a toilet that uses airflow rather than gravity to collect waste.

Where does astronaut urine go?

Urine is collected through a funnel and hose system, then processed by the Water Recovery System. It is recycled into drinking water — a standard closed-loop system used on the ISS. According to NASA guidelines, the system reclaims about 90% of water from urine (YouTube playlist (NASA/CSA educational content)).

How does the space toilet work?

  • Urine: a fan-driven funnel sends urine to the Water Recovery System.
  • Solid waste: a small hole in the toilet seat uses airflow to pull waste into a storage container, which is sealed and later returned to Earth for disposal.
The upshot

Astronauts must be trained for every step — a missed alignment can send waste floating through the cabin. For a six-month rotation aboard the ISS, managing waste is as critical as any science experiment.

The takeaway: the space toilet’s design seems mundane, but it’s a life-support system that fails dramatically in microgravity if misused. Hadfield’s own light-hearted video tour of the ISS toilet (millions of views) made this system famous.

Timeline

  • 1959 — Born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
  • 1995 — First spaceflight on STS-74 (Space Shuttle Atlantis).
  • 2001 — Second spaceflight on STS-100; becomes first Canadian to walk in space; temporary blindness incident.
  • 2012–2013 — Third spaceflight; serves as ISS commander for Expedition 35.
  • 2013 — Retires from the Canadian Space Agency.

What we know and what we don’t

Confirmed facts

  • Chris Hadfield flew three space missions.
  • He experienced temporary blindness during his first spacewalk in 2001.
  • He retired from the CSA in 2013.
  • He was the first Canadian to command the ISS.

What’s unclear

  • The exact duration of his temporary blindness is not widely documented.
  • The specific anti-fog chemical and its concentration remain unreleased.

In his own words

“My left eye went blind. I had anti-fog material from my helmet that got into my eye, and it immediately sealed my eye shut. I couldn’t see out of my left eye at all.”

Chris Hadfield in his 2014 TED talk (TED (personal account))

“We trained for all sorts of things, but we never considered that the anti-fog chemical in the helmet would get into an astronaut’s eye.”

Chris Hadfield, as quoted by ABC News in 2014 (ABC News (report))

The thread connecting all these episodes — blindness, bathroom logistics, social media fame — is that spaceflight rewards obsessive preparation. Hadfield’s reaction to the anti-fog incident (keep working, let tears dilute the chemical) wasn’t in the manual; it was improvisation born of deep training. For every Canadian schoolchild who watches his videos, the lesson is that even the most mundane system can fail, and the most serious failure can be handled with a clear head.

For future astronauts training for years-long missions to Mars, the choice is clear: study every microgravity con (eye hazards included), or face a one-way trip without a second chance.

Bottom line: Chris Hadfield’s career shows that space exploration demands redesigning contingencies for every unexpected reaction — from eye chemistry to waste management. Astronauts and space agencies must treat mundane risks as seriously as giant leaps.

Related reading: Terry Fox: Marathon of Hope, Cancer Research Legacy · Mark Messier: 6 Stanley Cups and Leadership Legacy

Additional sources

tedsummaries.wordpress.com

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Frequently asked questions

What is Chris Hadfield’s net worth?

Exact figures are not publicly confirmed from authoritative sources. Estimates range in the low millions from book sales, speaking fees, and university roles, but no verified financial disclosure exists.

What books did Chris Hadfield write?

He has written several books including An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth (2013), You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes (2014), and the children’s book The Darkest Dark (2016).

What was Chris Hadfield’s education?

He earned an engineering degree from the Royal Military College of Canada (1982) and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee (1992) (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About).

What is Chris Hadfield’s career background?

Before becoming an astronaut, Hadfield served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force, flew CF-18s, and worked as a test pilot (Colonel Chris Hadfield – About).

What are some key facts about Chris Hadfield?

He is a retired Canadian astronaut, first Canadian to walk in space (1995), first Canadian commander of the ISS (2013), completed two spacewalks, author, musician, and professor.

Does Chris Hadfield do speaking tours?

Yes, he is an active public speaker and has toured internationally. His speaking engagements often cover leadership, teamwork, and space exploration.

Who was the astronaut who floated away?

That was Bruce McCandless II, who performed the first untethered spacewalk in 1984 during STS-41-B. Chris Hadfield has never floated untethered.