Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement upon astronaut Chris Hadfield’s return to earth following a five month mission aboard the International Space Station:
“It is with immense pride today that Canada welcomes our very own space pioneer Chris Hadfield back to earth.
“Chris has done an absolutely remarkable job as the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station.
“His highly effective use of social media (with the help of his sons) has brought the miracle of space travel home to Canadians and to the entire world. Remarkably, over 830,000 people worldwide have been following Chris on Twitter.
“Other firsts that he accomplished in his time as Commander included dropping a puck from space for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ home opener against the Buffalo Sabres, launching the new state of the art Canadian five dollar bill which features the Canadarm and leading thousands of school children in a sing-along on his guitar. While in space, he also answered numerous questions from Canadian students across the country via video conferences, one of which I had the pleasure of attending in Ottawa this past March.
“The tireless and unique efforts by Commander Hadfield to educate Canada and the world about the final frontier, which were in addition to his very onerous duties as Commander of the Space Station, are nothing short of inspirational and have helped rekindle the dreams and excitement of becoming an astronaut.
“I look forward to meeting with this great Canadian again soon, including at the Calgary Stampede where he will be this year’s parade marshal.
“As Commander Hadfield touches down in Kazakhstan, I join all Canadians in saying welcome home, and join the world in saying well done.”
