Despite spending most of my days immersed in using and learning about new technologies, there are some days when I am in complete awe at what technology has made possible.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is currently on a five month mission leading Expedition 35 on the International Space Station.

While spending his time in space, Hadfield is doing something a bit differently than others who have gone before him - he’s sharing his experience with the world on a daily basis with social media.

Using Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube, he regularly shares what he’s seeing and what he’s learning. Not only that, he’s doing it in a fun and entertaining way. I am blown away not only by the fact that the technology for him to do this now exists, but also at his willingness to share so much (and how good he is at it).

He has run Reddit Q&As

He has done live feed events with University students and also with elementary school students

He produces fun videos on life in space

He tweets very regularly, sharing beautiful images from space

He updates his Facebook page

He tweets with Captain Kirk! (my favourite part about this story is that George Takei, Leonard Nimoy and Will Wheaton all got in on those tweets too :)

He writes music and then sings it with the Barenaked Ladies and a choir back on earth!

Ten years ago, “social media” didn’t exist. Today Chris Hadfield is sharing his adventures in space with 44,000 Facebook fans and 420,000 Twitter followers. Because of that, people like me know more about what is happening in space than we ever would have thought to learn before.

18,000 miles an hour - that’s how fast the space station is moving!! It orbits the earth 15 times a day! Just blows my mind!

Have you been following Chris Hadfield? What are your favourite new space facts? :)