Chris Hadfield named International Space Station commander

Sarnia-born Col. Chris Hadfield will become the first Canadian astronaut to command the International Space Station. Hadfield will launch aboard a Soyuz spacecraft late in 2012 before taking command for the second half of the six-month mission in March 2013, overseeing the work of five other astronauts. Hadfield will undergo rigorous training in Canada, the U.S., Japan, Russia and Europe over the next two years for his third journey into space. He will spend his first four months at the station working as its flight engineer, performing scientific experiments, robotics tasks and
technology demonstrations. As commander, he will be responsible for the safety of the crew, ongoing operations, maintenance and equipment of the space station, and will oversee scientific experiments. He is scheduled to return to Earth in a Soyuz spacecraft in June 2013.

CBC