Chris Hadfield puts Canadian stamp on space mission

Astronaut Chris Hadfield is putting a Canadian stamp on his upcoming mission to the international space station, packing some iconic maple syrup, recording a song on board with a Canuck musician, and snapping photos from space of Sarnia, Ont., and other parts of the country close to his heart.

He also hopes to arrange for one night when all residents in Sarnia, where he was born, will turn on their lights,so the Canadian astronaut can see it from high above.

"It will be really nice to know that people in Sarnia are leaving the lights on for me," he said. "That people are thinking of me, and I can, just with my own eyes, see evidence of my friends on Earth," Hadfield said during a telephone news conference Tuesday.

The 53-year-old trailblazer is currently in quarantine at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan preparing to make history. On Dec. 19, he is scheduled to blast off in a Soyuz capsule bound for the International Space Station, where he will take over as its first Canadian commander in March.

Now in the final days after years of preparation, Hadfield says he is taking refresher classes, exercising daily, getting rest, and preparing mentally for the mission.

As part of the preparations, Hadfield and his fellow crew members put a call out to Canada for suggestions on Canadian foods they could take on board.

The astronauts are allowed to bring a selection of so-called "bonus foods" beyond the regular menu, provided they have a long shelf life and are appropriate for space travel, he said.

Out of hundreds of suggestions, they chose about a dozen foods, including jerky with cranberries from northern Saskatchewan, chocolate from B.C., a bar with East Coast blueberries produced in Toronto, and, naturally, maple syrup, said Hadfield.

"We found something iconically Canadian, but also with a space twist," he said. "We found a really good quality maple syrup, and it comes in tubes When you're eating food on a repetitive cycle, to be able to grab a big tube from Canada and squirt something so sweet and flavourful on top will be really nice."

He is also taking special mementoes into space for his family, including specially made wedding rings for his wife, a watch for his daughter, and a tie tack and pins with the mission logo for his sons, he said.

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Chris Hadfield puts Canadian stamp on space mission