A Canadian astronaut who recently became famous worldwide as the 'singing astronaut' after he sang David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' during his stay at the International Space Station, has announced his retirement.
53-year-old Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to command the International Space Station, says he is making good on a promise to his wife to move back to Canada after 30 years.
The Ontario-native who sang David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' in space, will retire on July 3 from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and move home from the US.
Hadfield gained international prominence during his recent six-month trip to the ISS, where he used social media to share experiments and photographs.
From shots of the Andes to London by night, Hadfield posted an extraordinary series of images of Earth from space on his Twitter account. He has since gained over a million followers on Twitter.
He has lived in Texas since he became a fighter pilot in the late-1980s and was later assigned to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston by the CSA.
"I've had such an interesting career and after 35 years it's time to step down. I'm the last astronaut of my class that's still around," Hadfield was quoted as saying by the CBC.
He said he had no immediate plans on his next move, especially as he works on physically recovering from his time in space.
"Chris Hadfield has inspired all Canadians, especially our next-generation of scientists and engineers," Chris Alexander, parliamentary secretary for defence of Canada, said in a statement.
"His exceptional career achievements make him a true Canadian hero and icon," Alexander added.
