Chris Hadfield

We all tried it - too muffled, not the right type of propulsive nozzle :)

Learn other languages, learn to fly, learn to scuba dive, learn medical training, always be pursuing new skills. There is no one specific path to becoming an astronaut. The best thing you can do is train yourself to enjoy building up the skills that end up defining who you are.

Becoming the thing you dream of is a long shot, no matter what. The key is to HAVE a dream, a destination, a personal definition of perfection in life, and then to use that end goal to help decide what to do next. It is not the end goal that changes you, but the summed total of each of the small, daily decisions. Actively pursue your dreams by deliberate small choices - what to eat, to read, how to exercise, what to study, where to go, when to change direction. It's amazing where all the little decisions can lead you.

Never hate what you are doing. Make the most of it, find pleasure in the nuance and the art of it, become better at it, laugh at it, make it one of the things that you can do. If it's truly insufferable, then you must change and do something else. But get the most out of each step of life as you go. There's always more there than you think. And celebrate success now! Don't wait to walk on the Moon to notice the thousand small victories that got you there. Rejoice in each new skill, every discovered idea, each small improvement you make in yourself. All the choices and ideas you list make sense. Do what is closest to your heart, the ones that make you the most excited. That way you are inevitably turning yourself into who you want to be.

Edit: Sorry for the confusion on my reply. I had answered a similar question elsewhere, and addressed the more philosophical side. To be specific: Get an advanced technical degree, at least a Masters, in a field that interests you. Your work in Physics is fine. It's no so much what you've learned, but a proven ability to learn complex things. Maintain your health - eat and exercise to keep a strong, fit body. Likely worth getting a physical, to know what peculiarities you may have - heart, vision, height, weight, etc. You can then compare that to the required standards of the various space agencies. Once school is complete, work in a field where your decisions matter, have consequence, to prove your ability to make good decisions. It's why the CSA hires pilots, doctors, people who have managed programs, etc. Then gain other skills - scuba, flying, languages, climbing, engine/computer repair, etc. What might make you stand out in selection, and useful on a spaceship? But I strongly stand by the first section I wrote. There is no direct path, so be sure that you are doing what is important to you.

My laptop here onboard communicates to a server in Houston via satellite relay, and that server on the ground is hooked through a computer to the internet. The data rate is very slow, not fast enough to watch video, but perfect for things like Reddit and Twitter. We have the data link about half the time.

No Skype, but when we have the right communications links I can directly access the internet in Mission Control, Houston, and Tweet and do this AMA real-time. We have that link many times, every day. It's a great capability to have, really lets the crew keep in touch.

Currently just off the Western coast of Australia in the Indian Ocean.

Yes, it is - you can get stuck floating in the center of Node 1, where open space is biggest due to hatches on all sides. But ISS has fans and forced air to mix and refresh the internal atmosphere, so there's always a small crosswind. Wait long enough, you'll get pulled to an air inlet.

Orbiting Earth 2593 times, what I really came to appreciate was the commonality of the human experience. From orbit you see the repeated patterns of human settlement and civilisation, and inevitably start to sense that each of us inherently wants the same things out of life - joy, grace, time and stability to think, better opportunities for our children, laughter, someone to love. The precept of 'Us' and 'Them' is one that is taught; it's not the fundamental reality. Seeing the whole world as 1 place every 92 minutes drove that home within me, forever.

Someone with a good moustache.

To be an astronaut you have to be healthy (eat your greens and exercise), smart (do your homework), and trustworthy (do your jobs well). Then you get the suit and rocket.

I was blinded by contamination in my spacesuit during my 1st spacewalk. It was the anti-fog used on my visor, took about 30 minutes for my eyes to tear enough to dilute it so that I could see again. Without gravity, tears don't fall, so they had to evaporate. No way to rub your eyes inside the helmet.

He sure has. He said it was the most poignant version of the song ever done. High praise!

Cool question. As I think about it I'm mentally playing back all the imagery and feeling of seeing cities from ISS.

My favorites are the big, old cities, as they are well-lit testaments to history and culture - London, Paris, Cairo.