After graduation, Hadfield trained to become a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He then spent time in the United States, working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Air Force. During that time, Hadfield flew dozens of different types of aircraft. In 1992 he and three others were chosen by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to enter the astronaut-training program.
The CSA sent Hadfield to Texas to work with NASA. In 1995 Hadfield made his first flight into space. He and the other crew members attached a docking module to the Mir space station and delivered supplies. In 2001 Hadfield traveled on the space shuttle Endeavour to the ISS. During this mission he became the first Canadian to walk in space.
In 2001 Hadfield went to Russia to work with the space program there. He was the director of all ISS crew activities in Russia. Hadfield’s last spaceflight was in 2012. He spent 144 days on the ISS and served as commander for part of his stay. Hadfield became very popular during his time on the space station. He broadcast videos of himself singing songs and showing people what life was like on the ISS.
