The first Canadian to walk in Outer Space is coming to Kelowna.
Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield will speak at Kelowna’s Community Theatre Monday, Oct. 7, as part of UBCO’s Distinguished Speaker Series.
His talk, The Sky is Not the Limit, will touch on the lessons he’s learned throughout his career in the fields of leadership, teamwork, collaboration, science and technology.
Called “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong” by the BBC, Hadfield became a worldwide sensation by harnessing the power of social media to make Outer Space accessible to millions.
Hadfield launched into space Dec. 19, 2012 and took command of the International Space Station March 13, 2013.
His multiple daily tweets and photographs from space helped people see the world differently.
His Twitter conversation with William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series, went viral.
“Are you tweeting from space?” asked Shatner.
“Yes, standard orbit, Captain. And we’re detecting signs of life on the surface,” Hadfield quickly responded.
Prior to that, Hadfield achieved many firsts in Canadian space history.
In 1992, Hadfield was among the first chosen as Canada’s second class of astronauts. Three years later, he became the first Canadian to use the Canadarm and the first Canadian to board a Russian spacecraft during his mission to the Russian space station.
In 2001, he performed two spacewalks as a mission specialist on STS-100.
Hadfield has received the Vanier Award, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. He was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005 and was commemorated on the Royal Canadian Mint silver and gold coins in 2006.
He announced his retirement June 10.
Hadfield’s Kelowna speaking event has already sold out; however, there will be a wait list at Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water St., the evening of Oct. 7 and any unclaimed tickets will be available then.
