Flight Training - April 2014 - 6

RIGHT SEAT

By Ian J. Twombly
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MAJOR TOM

Publisher | Mark Baker

INSPIRATION FROM SPACE

ast May an astronaut became world famous. Not because
of a heroic act in space or overcoming some difficulty.
He picked up a guitar and sang a song. And tens of millions
of people watched.

There's some irony in the fact that a
former test pilot and long-term resident
of the International Space Station had to
do a fairly pedestrian act to be noticed.
But the song that Commander Chris
Hadfield chose, David Bowie's Space
Oddity probably had something to do
with it.
If you think about it, being an astronaut is a somewhat selfless act. There
may be some personal glory and satisfaction at being shot atop a rocket beyond
our atmosphere. Certainly experiencing
what few have experienced helps the ego
a bit. But ultimately the mission of an
astronaut is exploration. Not for them-

Journalist Terry Gross interviewed
Hadfield for her show Fresh Air, and
she asked him about the possibility of
not getting back to Earth. Ever the stoic
pilot, Hadfield said he made sure his
personal matters were in order, given his
family would be left having to deal with
all the resulting headaches. His response
was insightful and eloquent, a rare gift
from someone so accomplished in the
technical world of spaceflight.
This month we feature Hadfield in
our regular "Debrief" section on the
last page of the magazine. We began
the series a few years ago, and in the
time since have featured politicians,

IT'S IN OUR GENES TO GROW AND CONTINUE
TO FIND NEW PLACES, NEW THINGS, AND
NEW WAYS OF LOOKING AT OUR CURRENT
PLACE IN LIFE.
selves, but for us as a world community.
It's in our genes to grow and continue
to find new places, new things, and
new ways of looking at our current
place in life.
I think that's why Hadfield's rendition of Bowie's song was so popular.
Although presumed to be about drugs
or the failed British space program,
Bowie actually wrote the hit after watching Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space
Odyssey. The lyrics mirror the sometimes
despondent nature of film. Hadfield may
have just been goofing around and showing a lighter side of life in space, but his
song was an expression of the human
side of spaceflight and an acknowledgment of the significant risks. The video,
produced by the Canadian Space Agency,
matched the unique nature of the song.

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

movie stars, musicians, athletes, airshow
performers, business leaders, and a
few astronauts. All of them have one
thing in common: They started right
where you are today. They found great
joy in learning to fly, they struggled
with some aspect of the training, and
they ultimately became a certificated
pilot, forever joining what some call the
world's most exclusive, open-membership club.
We hope that Hadfield's words inspire
you as they did the 20 million or so
people who spent a few minutes watching a guy sing his heart out 230 miles
above Earth.
Email Editor Ian J. Twombly at ian.twombly@aopa.
org; Twitter: ijtwombly; and visit Flight Training on
Facebook.

Senior VP, Media/Editor in Chief | Thomas B. Haines
Editor | Ian J. Twombly
Editor at Large | Thomas A. Horne
Managing Editor | Julie Summers Walker
Technical Editors | Mike Collins, Jill W. Tallman
Senior Editors | Dave Hirschman, Alton K. Marsh
Media Production Specialist | Sylvia Horne
Administrative Assistant | Miriam E. Stoner
Contributors | Pete Bedell, Greg Brown, LeRoy Cook,
Budd Davisson, Rod Machado, Dan Namowitz, Wayne
Phillips, Bob Schmelzer, Jack Williams

Design Director | Michael E. Kline
Art Directors | Elizabeth Z. Jones, Jill C. Benton
Senior Photographer | Mike Fizer
Photographer | Chris Rose

eMedia Managing Editor | Alyssa J. Miller
eMedia Editor | Sarah Deener
eMedia Associate Editors | Jim Moore, Benét Wilson
eMedia Production Assistant | Melissa Whitehouse

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Flight Training - April 2014

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