Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is the first person to record an original song composition in space. Hadfield, who is currently training as the commander of Expedition 35, made a promise earlier this month on Reddit to record a song while on board the International Space Station. And just twelve days after his AMA session on the social news website, Hadfield has posted the historical video entitled “Jewel In The Night” on YouTube.
Describing the environmental challenges of recording a song in space, Hadfield writes, “The Space Station is noisy, as the fans and pumps have to move the air to keep us alive. So it sounds like playing in the back of a bus. The best part is that the guitar floats in front of you. You don’t need a strap! You have to relearn how to bar chord, as without weight, your arm goes too far, and you overshoot.” For now, Hadfield is finding solitude in music. Once Expedition 35, the planned 35th long-duration mission to the ISS, begins in March next year, Hadfield may no longer have the luxury of time to record another epic song.