Astronaut, fighter pilot, bestselling author, commander of the International Space Station, and the first man to sing Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ in zero G: is there anything Chris Hadfield can’t do?

Chris Hadfield is one of the most accomplished astronauts in the world – and off it. A global superstar following his legendary cover version of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ aboard the ISS, Colonel Hadfield is also an ace fighter pilot, a veteran of two space walks, the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, the former NASA Director of Operations in Russia, one of the most popular TED talkers of all time, an adviser to SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, and was personally asked by King Charles to help lead a new project to protect the space environment.

He joins How To Academy live on stage in London and via livestream to share out-of-this-world stories from his life to date, including not only his time as an astronaut but his early days as an RCAF pilot intercepting Soviet bombers in North American airspace. His new novel The Defector – the sequel to his million-selling thriller The Apollo Murders – takes us into the world of Cold War fighter pilots in a dizzying game of spies, lies, and a possible high level defection playing out across three continents. It’s a tale sizzling with the kind of detail and authenticity that only one of the world’s best fighter pilots can provide.

Praise for the works of Chris Hadfield:

‘It’s a very rare book that combines so many things I love, from taut suspense and highly realistic action, to the golden age of space exploration. I couldn’t put it down.’ – James Cameron

‘Hadfield has accomplished a one-man mission to make space cool again.’ – Independent

‘Hadfield has done more than probably any astronaut since the Apollo missions to transform the image of space exploration… Space has rarely seemed to close, or the world so astonishing.’ –Telegraph

‘A very human glance into a rarified world… The vacuum of space is unforgiving and brutal. Life on Earth isn’t easy, either. Chris Hadfield has genuinely and refreshingly increased our understanding of how to thrive in both places.’ – Wall Street Journal