Astronaut Records 1st Original Song on Space Station

Call him the space guitar hero: An astronaut living in orbit has penned a musical ode to Earth in what he's billing as the first original song recorded on the International Space Station.

The song, called "Jewel in the Night," is a holiday-themed tune recorded by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield just days after arriving at the space station last week, just in time for Christmas.

Hadfield and two crewmates docked at the space station on Friday, Dec. 21. On Sunday (Dec. 23), he recorded the tune and then posted it online on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24)via YouTube, Twitter and soundcloud.com.

"Here's some of the first original music written for and performed on the international space station," Hadfield wrote on Twitter, where he is chronicling his spaceflight under the name @Cmdr_Hadfield. [Hear the Song: 'Jewel in the Night' Video]

Hadfield performed "Jewel in the Night" on Larrive Parlor acoustic guitar(made in Vancouver) that has been aboard the space station for years. The tune has a folk song feel andstarts off:

So bright, Jewel in the night, There in my window below.

So bright, Dark as the night, with all of our cities aglow.

It's long been our way, To honor this day, And offer goodwill to men.

And though, Where ever we go, It's come round to Christmas again.

Hadfield, 53, is a veteran astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency and currently serves as a flight engineer with the station's current Expedition 34 crew. He will be the first Canadian space station commander when he takes charge of the outpost's Expedition 35 phase next year.

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Astronaut Records 1st Original Song on Space Station