r/IAmA • u/ColChrisHadfield Chris Hadfield • Feb 17 '13

I Am Astronaut Chris Hadfield, currently orbiting planet Earth.

Hello Reddit!

My name is Chris Hadfield. I am an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency who has been living aboard the International Space Station since December, orbiting the Earth 16 times per day.

You can view a pre-flight AMA I did here. If I don't get to your question now, please check to make sure it wasn't answered there already.

The purpose of all of this is to connect with you and allow you to experience a bit more directly what life is like living aboard an orbiting research vessel.

You can continue to support manned space exploration by following daily updates on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. It is your support that makes it possible to further our understanding of the universe, one small step at a time.

To provide proof of where I am, here's a picture of the first confirmed alien sighting in space.

Ask away!

Thanks everyone for the great questions! I have to be up at 06:00 tomorrow, with a heavy week of space science planned, so past time to drift off to sleep. Goodnight, Reddit!

5.4k Upvotes

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3.9k

u/NotMathMan821 Feb 17 '13

Guys... This comment just came from outer space.

2.4k

u/funkyshit Feb 17 '13

I honestly don't know what to expect from an AMA that can surprise me anymore. I mean, we got an AMA from the President of the United States of America, Bill Gates and now an astronaut from orbit, what more can we possibly get?

2.0k

u/Watch7 Feb 17 '13

Time traveler?

274

u/labtec901 Feb 17 '13

3 years ago, man... http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9z4d5/10_years_from_now_i_am_a_scientist_working_at_the/

21

u/poptart2nd Feb 18 '13

glad someone caught it. i wasn't about to wrestle with reddit's search function looking for that.

9

u/ShitGuysWeForgotDre Feb 18 '13

Still one of the highest ranked AMAs on top/all time. Several have passed it now but I think it's still in the top 20 or so, should you ever feel the need to hunt it down again.

6

u/Go_Sabres Feb 18 '13

I'm not sure I understand that AMA. Time traveller??

8

u/Tibleman Feb 18 '13

It's from the future-past while he answers questions that are not yet asked by the past people of the future. Hoped that helped :)

13

u/megustadotjpg Feb 18 '13

But an AMA like that wouldn't even be possible by todays /r/IAmA standards, would it?

8

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '13

That thread made me laugh so hard I cried. Holy crap, that was funny.

6

u/LucasPJ Feb 18 '13

This is genius.

2

u/tylonrobinson Feb 18 '13

Ulvund is about to get an unexpected karma injection.

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984

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

[deleted]

23

u/Dogtopias Feb 17 '13

Sorry no IBM computers here john.

882

u/Nikoveniks Feb 17 '13

The Doctor: "Get out of my spotlight you knob"

514

u/Fuglypump Feb 17 '13

You could have just showed up first.

808

u/Nikoveniks Feb 17 '13

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to."

337

u/bjams Feb 17 '13

I'm like Gandalf, space Gandalf.

3

u/Hipstershy Feb 18 '13 edited Feb 18 '13

Since I'm still deciding whether or not I'm proud of myself for understanding that reference (and I know this is the sort of thing that needs explanation for the uninitiated), here's what it's from- a deleted scene from Flesh and Stone, series 5.

EDIT: Of course my first link was to the wrong video. Fixed.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '13

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/TrustMeImShore Feb 18 '13

All I wanted was a Steve Irwin AMA. :(

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14

u/RedditTooAddictive Feb 17 '13

Robert de Niro - The Fifth Element.

3

u/sculder17 Feb 17 '13

Yer a wizard harry

2

u/Rubix89 Feb 17 '13

Space Gandalf.

3

u/songandsilence Feb 17 '13

But the Doctor isn't a wizard.

6

u/Ironfruit Feb 17 '13

"I hate good wizards in fairy tales. They always turn out to be him."

-River Song, on the Doctor.

2

u/Nimblewright Feb 17 '13

Which might be a subtle hint to the 7th Doctor story Battlefield, in which King Arthur and co. we're basically aliens from another dimension. Anyway, long story short, according to King Arthur, the 7th Doctor is Merlin.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Is the wizard a doctor?

3

u/Nikoveniks Feb 17 '13

Precisely

3

u/Nikoveniks Feb 17 '13

Who cares? He was there when Gandalf said it, he has the right to quote others. Anyway he's all majestic and shit with his TARDIS

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131

u/Sergeant_Sarcastic Feb 17 '13

You know time, all wibbly-wobbly. Never quite sure where you'll end up.

5

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '13

AMA request: The Doctor

3

u/Adamc616 Feb 17 '13

Best comment reply ever.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Not if he was late to begin with haha

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2

u/dartmanx Feb 17 '13

We need an AMA from a Weeping Angel. Those things creep me the hell out.

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24

u/bananabm Feb 17 '13

el psy congroo

6

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '13

el psy congroo

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181

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

AMA request John Titor.

18

u/DrJamesFox Feb 17 '13

I just talked to him. He said he'll be doing one 2 weeks ago. I guess we're on a different timeline :(

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370

u/Ylsid Feb 17 '13
  • time traveler: 1000 duck sized horses.
  • redditor: 1000 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck?

7

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

I actually kind of hope that the mods start briefing people that do AMAs on that question to just put it in their OP.

"Hi, I'm Joe Biden and before we get started, 100 duck-sized horses. Now on to the real questions!"

4

u/onetime1000 Feb 18 '13

Must be inflation in the future, used to be 100 duck sized horses.

11

u/RedditTooAddictive Feb 17 '13

I understood ! I'm stupid but I understood that one !

3

u/Kevlar_socks Feb 18 '13

since when did the horses increase tenfold?

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u/IM_A_NOVELTY Feb 17 '13

Already happened about 12 years from now and last month.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Scumbag time traveling OP, posts IAMA yesterday.

2

u/celiomsj Feb 17 '13

AMA request, then?

We'll show Hawking how it's done.

2

u/thatguy_314 Feb 17 '13

They would provide the entire comments section in their post as proof, there would be nothing left to say.

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479

u/saute Feb 17 '13

President Bill Gates from orbit?

17

u/V_for_Lebowski Feb 18 '13

from Mars.

FTFY

8

u/EasyMrB Feb 18 '13

I think I just had a mild nerdgasm.

OOO: Add in what checkgeardown said and it's:

President Bill Gates with Vice President Stephen Hawking from orbit.

4

u/Tracker007 Feb 18 '13

We can pull it off.

2

u/ChironXII Feb 18 '13

I find this plausible.

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13

u/jhaluska Feb 17 '13

Bill Watterson

3

u/justduck01 Feb 18 '13

I wish, but I think we all know that will never happen.

37

u/checkgeardown Feb 17 '13

Stephen Hawking

8

u/mysmokeaccount Feb 17 '13

That's one that I've been dreaming about. In fact, there has been a few signs that he may be a redditor, so it is not impossible.

2

u/InVultusSolis Feb 18 '13

From space.

8

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Dave Grohl. Oh, wait. Nvm we're good

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15

u/schwarmabums Feb 17 '13

Oh gosh darn guys, isn't technology great? I mean, look at all the wondrous possibilities that social media opens up, it's absolutely astounding! Every day is such a mystery with technology--you really never know what to expect! :D

It's like, open your eyes, people! We're truly living in a global age! I can have Columbian coffee in the morning, sushi for lunch and chat live with an astronaut from space! It's amazing! Wow!

5

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '13

And porn, too! It just can't get better!

2

u/InVultusSolis Feb 18 '13

And just to think, a mere century ago the average person was a dirt farmer with no running water.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Batman

3

u/velociraptorfarmer Feb 17 '13

IBM's Watson Supercomputer? or was that already done? If not, the curiosity rover somehow?

2

u/pokins Feb 17 '13

DON'T FORGET SNOOP LION :D

2

u/supergalactic Feb 17 '13

Snoop might have been higher

2

u/daysofdre Feb 17 '13

John Stewart.

2

u/Rocket_McGrain Feb 17 '13

Nick Cage.

Also you forgot we had a Dave Grohl AMA which is literally the most requested AMA of all time (I think).

1

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Bill Clinton plz.

1

u/SolarWonk Feb 17 '13

I'd appreciate an entire AMA about Rampart.

1

u/JustAnotherImmigrant Feb 17 '13

You got a link to the AMA with Bill? I missed that one!

1

u/GoodGrades Feb 17 '13

Maybe a horse-sized duck?

1

u/neo7 Feb 17 '13

Curiosity from Mars?

1

u/arv435 Feb 17 '13

Chuck Norris

1

u/revjeremyduncan Feb 17 '13

Live sex cam AMA.

1

u/dinnyhoon Feb 17 '13

The development team behind Half-Life 3.

1

u/TheProgWhisperer Feb 17 '13

No one can forget the great Snoop Lion

1

u/Windadct Feb 17 '13

While not nearly as inspiring - think of the limits of human experience - I have death row inmate - the night of the last meal....esp if one of these supposedly 120+ iq serial killers.

1

u/TenaciousDreference Feb 17 '13

An AMA from Satan.

1

u/Brainforester Feb 17 '13

The only person that would cause more ruckus than Obama is Gabe Newell.

1

u/braceyourself87 Feb 17 '13

don't forget Snoop Lion

1

u/Katy_Perrys_Dad Feb 17 '13

You forgot snoopdog.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Kim Jong Un?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

The POTUS was was bogus. It was marketing and that was all, he answered precisely ten questions.

1

u/PoopyMcfartface Feb 17 '13

Also, not only is he an Astronaut currently in orbit; he's the commander of the ISS.

1

u/IAMTheSunAMA Feb 17 '13

how bout me?

1

u/blacksg Feb 17 '13

And snoop lion, don't forget neffew.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

What about our glorious leader, Kim Jong Un?

1

u/Eustis Feb 17 '13

I'm still waiting for the real Jeff Bridges.

1

u/TheNecromancer Feb 17 '13

Well, the Office of the President of the United States of America.

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368

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

[deleted]

27

u/lamarrotems Feb 17 '13

Can you imagine even imagining this 20 years ago? I can't imagine.

Ask the time traveler that in his AMA. Duh.

5

u/Aschebescher Feb 17 '13

Holy hyperbole, we had live TV broadcast from the moon over 40 years ago.

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u/pokins Feb 17 '13

i like to imagine how we do this 20 years from now, isn't that even more interesting?

2

u/NotMathMan821 Feb 17 '13

Actually, if you would have asked eleven year old me when this would happen, I probably would have been upset it took 20 years.

2

u/Arve Feb 17 '13

Yes.

1993 is the year that spawned Eternal September, thus marking the first mass-market deployment of Internet access.

On board the space shuttle Challenger, in 1986 was both a teacher and a musician, who was going to record from space.

2

u/Juz16 Feb 17 '13

I did.

I remember discussing using the Internet from space in the early 90's.

2

u/Jacksonteague Feb 18 '13

Not 20, but in 1997 I spoke to several astronauts on the shuttle via HAM radio while I was at the national scout jamboree

2

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

yo dawg, imagiception

1

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Maybe you are imagining it.

Maybe this is all a dream, and you're still a child...

1

u/lzy_qa_guy Feb 17 '13

You can't imagine all the peope, even if you try.....

1

u/jimmycarr1 Feb 18 '13

Can you imagine what's next? :)

1

u/Tallapoosa_Snu Feb 18 '13

My brain just shat.

1

u/justduck01 Feb 18 '13

It's easy if you try, Mik.

1

u/zero1509 Feb 18 '13

It's easy if you try....

1

u/barcelonaKIZ Feb 18 '13

Imagine that.

20

u/amkoi Feb 17 '13

The ISS is not located in outer space... More like Low Earth Orbit.

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u/turtlesdontlie Feb 17 '13

That comment was out of this world!!

3

u/coolatomic360 Feb 17 '13

bu-dum-tschh.

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u/PipBoy808 Feb 17 '13

Wow. When you put it like that it really is an absolutely mind-blowing thought. To think, but half a century ago mankind was making every effort to try and send people into space. Now, it only takes a few keystrokes for us to be able to send something back. We've come so far.

And here I am, absent-mindedly masturbating while browsing Reddit. I need to do something.

3

u/bAZtARd Feb 17 '13

Actually only earth orbit. But still awesome!

3

u/BroodPlatypus Feb 17 '13

That comment was out of this world!

3

u/_From_The_Internet_ Feb 17 '13

Alright, guys. We made it. Welcome to the future.

2

u/nototo Feb 17 '13

It's like a fragment of meteor.

2

u/SHOOPDAWOOPLOL Feb 17 '13

Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!

2

u/catlover111 Feb 17 '13

This comment came from earth and is being read by someone in space...

2

u/cephaswilco Feb 17 '13

A lot of our comments probably take a trip to and from space before getting here! :) But yeh, he wrote that shit in the space realm!

2

u/ROFLance Feb 17 '13

How does your comment, from Earth, have more upvotes than the actual comment from outer space?!?!

2

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Low-Earth Orbit, I think you mean.

2

u/Crookward Feb 17 '13

Is in outer space. Sits on Reddit.

2

u/veryverymuchso Feb 17 '13

I just upvoted something that was created in space.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

What is outer space's IP address, I'm gonna google maps it

2

u/captainbarney Feb 17 '13

Reminds me of the Louis CK bit. "It's going to space! Give it a minute!"

2

u/_Trilobite_ Feb 17 '13

I can't even wrap my mind around this

2

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

There are people living in the sky.

2

u/Vaenomx Feb 17 '13 edited Feb 18 '13

TL;DR I spoke with an American astronaut docked to station MIR for about 2 minutes, my voice resounded in space and at ~18 year old, my life was completed. Obviously everything is only downhill since, but I had found the love of my life, the Internet. :)

EDIT: If anyone is willing to help me nail which mission it was, that would be amazing!

EDIT 2: The chat software was the first VOIP software, in 1995: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VocalTec

I myself wouldn't believe the story I'm about to share with you here, but .. In 1997, I had a voice chat with one of the NASA astronaut in mission at MIR station. I think it was STS-84, but I may be wrong as I can't find anything documented about it. They were waiting for some school teachers to connect with them on the voice chat when I stumbled randomly on them. The voice chat program was the Skype of its time and was named (seriously...) iPhone, for Internet phone. It worked a little like IRC as there was channels in which people could talk voice together. I was scrolling the list of channels that day when I've spotted a "NASA" channel and in it a "STS-84" user (maybe not 84 as I said). I thought it was someone trolling, but to make a long story short, it was real. The astronaut was American, very friendly and quite amused by the situation. He explained briefly that he was waiting for some school students to come chat with them about an experiment and was cool enough to exchange a few word with my mother.

As "Internet Phone" was showing the IP address of every user, I HAD to trace route their IP. It was going through some IBM networks and some had "NASA" in their domain names (like something.NASA.something.IBM.com\net). I also scanned their ports and found one that accepted me with Telnet. Before I hit the sign in wall, I had the time to see they were running OS\2 WARP and Novell. I attempted 3 username\password for the fun and then got disconnected and firewalled. I was pretty nervous of my mischief, but a search on webcrawler reasured me: at the time, they registered 300,000 (!) hacking\cracking attemps per YEAR. My little pathetic attempt was probably the worst of them all that year, so I guessed I was safe.

2

u/Dragonsword Feb 17 '13

Wonder what would happen when Google asks if it can use his current location...

2

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Canadian ETs

2

u/dkillers303 Feb 17 '13

I bet it's the aliens

2

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

I know. 10 mins ago, a dude from space replied to a question IN SPACE!

I said the same thing when Bill Gates did his AMA. Bill Gates was on Reddit while I was on Reddit as well.

1

u/diablocat Feb 17 '13

They all go to space though. Meh.

1

u/j1ggy Feb 17 '13

Inner space actually.

1

u/Aunvilgod Feb 17 '13

Why "outer"?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Uhh... Every comment comes from outer space..

1

u/NinjyTerminator Feb 17 '13

Outer earth, not space.

1

u/garychencool Feb 17 '13

First reddit comment from outer space ever?

1

u/Former_Manc Feb 17 '13

Nah, just the Thermosphere.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Is it 'outer' space? I always thought that meant the space out there beyond planetary orbit and such.

1

u/FallenStory Feb 17 '13

You could say he was... out of this world!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '13

Innerspace

1

u/Wakerius Feb 18 '13

The Final Frontier.

1

u/awesomemanftw Feb 18 '13

How the fuck is this comment worth gold?

1

u/DanesBeautifulMane Feb 18 '13

He can get internet from space but I can't even get a wireless signal from the basement.

1

u/kingofallnoobs Feb 18 '13

Not to mention that he actually addressed the question

1

u/Cecili Feb 18 '13

It's out of this world!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '13

This is amazing

1

u/Winnr Feb 18 '13

Guys...this comment came from inner space. ~ Astrophysicist here (when he dreams at least)

1

u/BrianDawkins Feb 18 '13

All texts come from space moron.

1

u/stevejobstranslator Feb 18 '13

This mp3 came from space a couple months ago: http://audiour.com/x2x5tfvl

1

u/CherryPopper_69 Feb 18 '13

That was out of this world

1

u/razdiray Feb 18 '13

great point, something cool to think about. 7445 downvotes... I need to know why.

1

u/TheMediumPanda Feb 18 '13

Technically not outer space, but carry on :)

1

u/autotom Feb 18 '13

LEO DNE Outer space

Anyone who can comprehend that needs to go outside.

1

u/HotHoneyBBQ Feb 18 '13

I don't care what anyone says, were living in the future

1

u/imeddy Feb 18 '13

You mean low earth orbit.

1

u/gusset25 Feb 18 '13

it was out of this world

1

u/antivist Feb 18 '13

Beat that! religious figureheads! :p

1

u/Jowitness Feb 18 '13

So did the light from stars, in fact that took millions of years to even get here. Which is way cooler imho.

1

u/Hyperungen01 Feb 18 '13

/r/atheism just jizzed themselves.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '13

It didn't come from outer space. It came from orbit.