ISS Astronaut Chris Hadfield Teaching Essence Of Spaceflight In New MasterClass Series

International Space Station astronaut Chris Hadfield is imparting his knowledge about spaceflight and related topics in a new MasterClass series. Aspiring astronauts and space tourists are welcome to join the educational experience.

Enrollment for Hadfield’s MasterClass series opened on Tuesday, April 24. The videos are already available for exclusive early access on the MasterClass mobile iOS app. They will then be released globally via the MasterClass website and other platforms on May 1, according to Space.com.

Hadfield’s classes won’t be for free. One instructor class costs $90. The in-depth course features 28 classes that explore and discuss what it’s like to be an astronaut. Each class lasts about 20 minutes long. There’s also an option to gain access to all of MasterClass’ content by paying $180.

“I wanted to truly explain the essence of spaceflight, and what it means to us, and what the benefits of it are. I think it’s an interesting and timely topic right now,” Hadfield said of the series. He also shared that this endeavor provides a venue for interested people to get links to more detailed information on rocket design, astronaut life and more.

Hadfield also pointed out that his course is also open to those who are planning to be space tourists. “There are a lot of people [watching] who would apply to be an astronaut, and the people who will fly [tourist flights] with Jeff Bezos [Blue Origin] and Richard Branson [Virgin Galactic] may be interested, too,” he said.

The classes in Hadfield’s MasterClass series range from space engines and spaceflight maneuvers. There are also classes that tackle future research opportunities and the general experience of being away from the living planet, as per Popular Science.

“The advent of an enabling technology is revolutionizing to what we consider to be normal within life, and there’s always a moment when the technology becomes proven and safe and cost effective enough that it starts to become available for not just research and esoteric projects, but it becomes reliably integrated into common life almost seamlessly,” Hadfield said. “I think we are at that point with spaceflight.”

Hadfield is the Canadian astronaut who temporarily went blind on a spacewalk because of a clearing fluid that irritated his eyes more than 15 years ago. At the time, he was doing a crucial construction mission on the International Space Station and the incident fogged his vision and caused him extreme pain. He solved the problem by opening a purge valve in his suit, which cleared the contaminated tears from his face.

Aside from his prolific work as an astronaut, Hadfield is also known for his viral cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” which he filmed in the space station in 2013. The video (found below) has amassed almost 40 million views on YouTube as of press time.