Chris Hadfield touches down in Langley

Imagine pulling on your socks and underwear one morning and realizing that when you take them off at the end of the day, you wont be doing it on Earth.

Of all the thoughts to float through a mans mind on the morning of his first trip into space, its a strange one to have, but Col. Chris Hadfield uses the example to illustrate that when an astronaut climbs aboard a rocket ship to blast off from Earth it happens on a day like any other.

Except, if youre Chris Hadfield, its 1995 and the day that has been the focal point of your life since you were nine years old and watched in awe as Neil Armstrong took his first steps onto the surface of the moon has finally arrived.

And its the day you approach a spaceport and see the shuttle Atlantis in the distance the ship thats going to carry you off the planet to the Russian space station, Mir.

Its also the day that youll climb awkwardly into the vehicle, which is sitting on its tail and allow yourself to be strapped into cramped space above what is essentially a giant bomb.

Then, stuffed into an uncomfortable, oversized suit and wearing a diaper, you wait, because there are still two hours to go until launch.

What do you do? he asks.

Test the diaper, someone yells from the audience.

Good answer, he laughs.

But, in fact, says Hadfield, you nap.

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Chris Hadfield touches down in Langley