Chris Hadfield (@cmdr_hadfield)

Before I was an astronaut I was a test pilot, finding new ways to recover an F-18 after it went out of control. We learned a lot & made flying safer - but good to have an ejection seat, just in case.

Testing the next gen lunar surface space suit. It's easy to climb into (through the back), has good mobility, the gloves work fine. We were evaluating the interfaces with the @Astrolab.Space rover - launching to the Moon later this year. Great to see and experience the new legacy of the @Axiom.space suit in their Houston test rig.

Weightless fingernail trimming - bits go everywhere! So we cut them over a fan filter intake and vacuum them up when done (keeps someone from inadvertently breathing them, floating around). Note the velcro on the clippers, for 0G storage. And the loud ambient sound of living inside a spaceship.

Do you gain weight in space? How would you know? Obviously a weigh scale won't work when we're weightless. So we climb on an oscillating spring, and time the change in speed. From that, we can calculate our weight (or 'mass'). After 6 months I stayed the same mass, but lost fat & gained muscle with the healthy diet (no beer or pizza) and daily exercise. The most exclusive of all health spas :) image: @Astro_Cady @nasa

Duct tape double take! When you're waiting for the next reporter's question and you suddenly notice the handy roll of Mach 25 tape, and can't help playing with it in weightlessness. Don't leave Earth without it!

Being weightless changes so many things. Even crying. It also changes your digestion, blood flow, muscle & bone density, vision, balance - and height! Answering questions from kids & adults around the world was something I tried to squeeze into every spare minute I had during my 3 spaceflights. @csa_asc @nasa

How do you go to the bathroom without gravity? My first viral video - I didn't even know the Ontario Science Centre was filming it. Wait for the punchline :)

What song would you play onboard a spaceship? That's Thomas Reiter on the old Russian guitar & me on the SoloEtte, onboard Mir. Wishing we'd brought a tuner :) The floating maple leaves came from my elementary school, King George VI in Sarnia ON, pressed in my notebook. That foldable SoloEtte is now in the Av & Space Museum in Ottawa. The Russian guitar had been transferred to Mir from the older Salyut-7 space station, and eventually burned up with Mir on reentry.

Very satisfying to get the old Farmall running. Henry agrees.

Hard to keep a weightless guitar in place to play - and not kick my lunch velcroed to the wall. That Larrivee guitar was put up on the space station by NASA psychologists and is still there - 139,500 world tours!

Thirsty in space? Fill your water bag (with perfectly recycled urine). Stick in a straw, tastes like ... water!

Being weightless is fun - but don't bang your head.

Why is life worth living? A hard and thoughtful question from Ines. This is my best answer. (from @StarmusFestival La Palma)

Astronaut at home- repairing the feline crew water aeration system.

It's hard to organize your stuff without gravity. Good to have a drawer with a lid.

How it sounds when you play a Bowie classic with @Steve Vai at #STARMUS.

How I saw the Starship test flight. @CNN

Recognize this morning thrillride?

I prefer a weightless guitar pick, floating in the gentle Space Station air currents.

Meanwhile, in Montreal …

If it’s on the floor it’s fair game - Kaya, Poppy & Henry check out the cool new astronaut snowglobe.

Sound up - clip of the opening of The Defector, read by the incomparable Ray Porter. (video made by friend Iain Christie - full version here: youtu.be/eHrUUhWEw5U)

Chinese reusable rocket, from Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Tech Ltd (aka iSpace). Competition for @SpaceX coming fasf.

Wow! First time I’ve seen my new book as a real printed thing - very exciting author moment! It’s an early advance copy - available for preorder now: chrishadfield.ca/books/ #TheDefector

What type of turtle is that again?

If you were asked to play a 15-sec lick on a weightless guitar, what would you choose?

F-18 out of control - when I was a @USNavy test pilot. Wild flights like this helped inspire my new thriller, The Defector. Pre-order at chrishadfield.ca/books

Do you remember when you met your first snake? (no Henrys or garter snakes were harmed)

April in Ontario #cornsnow