Chris Hadfield tells school kids he hopes there will be more Canadians in space

OTTAWA – Astronaut Chris Hadfield mesmerized a group of school children today as he held a question-and-answer session from space, moderated by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen.

Sitting on a sofa at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Harper congratulated Hadfield on taking command of the International Space Station.

Hadfield said he’s incredibly proud to have the opportunity and says he’s amazed at what a huge, rich country Canada is.

Hadfield told the children the last place he sees as he zips across the country is the rugged rock of Newfoundland and Labrador and Cape Breton, N.S.

The kids asked the Sarnia, Ont., native an array of questions, from what it’s like to live in zero gravity to what happens if you get sick in space.

On Wednesday, Hadfield took control of the International Space Station — the first Canadian to do so.

Hadfield is scheduled to end his five-month space mission in mid-May.