Chris Hadfields' Encore Presentations

Chris Hadfield leaves the stage after singing at the July 1st, 2013 Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Photo c/o Fred Chartrand/ Canadian Press.

Showmanship, entertainment and hyperbole will each be necessary to move forward new space technologies and there is no better example of this than Canada's most famous astronaut ever.

That would be Chris Hadfield, who has just commenced his formal retirement from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) with a series of public speaking engagements and concerts, plus a book deal and "other private interests."

As outlined in the July 2nd, 2013 Postmedia News article "Retiring astronaut Chris Hadfield about to launch lucrative speaking career," the engagements will be organized through Speakers’ Spotlight, a Toronto based PR firm which has also represented Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar, Hollywood actor William Shatner, and Barenaked Ladies co-founder Steven Page.

After presenting at the July 1st, Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa (where, as outlined in the July 2nd Huffington Post article "Chris Hadfield Rocks Canada Day, Does 'Space Oddity' (VIDEOS)" he sang with Barenaked Ladies lead singer Ed Robertson) and leading the 2013 Calgary Stampede parade (as per the July 5th, 2013 CITY News post "Chris Hadfield ushers in the Calgary Stampede"), Hadfield is currently scheduled to present at a growing series of upcoming business conferences. These include:

Chris Hadfield leading the 2013 Calgary Stampede parade. Photo c/o Jeff McIntosh/ The Canadian Press.

• IT service management, as per the July 9th, 2013 PR Web post "Commander Chris Hadfield as Keynote at International IT Service Management Conference."

• Grain farming, as per the July 9th, 2013 Blackburn News post "Hadfield To Keynote March Classic 2014."

• Health care, as per the July 9th, 2013 Canadian Newswire press release "Colonel Chris Hadfield, double lung transplant recipient Hélène Campbell and innovation expert Sir Ken Robinson added to HealthAchieve 2013 speaker line-up").

According to Speakers’ Spotlight president Martin Perelmuter, his company has so far received more than 500 emails asking for Hadfield to speak at corporate events, and more requests are coming in every day. The top rate for a Canadian speaker is generally around $50,000 per engagement, although Hadfield has stated publicly that he will continue to speak for free at "student events" such as his recent visit to the University of Calgary, as outlined in the July 6th, 2013 CBC News post "Chris Hadfield stops by University of Calgary to talk space."

Hadfield has also signed a book deal.

As outlined in the July 2nd, 2013 Random House press release "Random House Canada to publish book by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield" the first book in a two book deal, titled "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth" is expected to be released on October 29th, 2013. According to the press release, Hadfield will take readers:

... deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Through eye-opening, entertaining stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks, and the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of real achievement--and happiness...

As outlined in the August 11th, 2011 Space Review article, "VASIMR and a new war of the currents," space exploration is entering a period where showmanship, entertainment, political glad-handing and hyperbole will each be necessary in order to suitably move forward new technologies.

Best wishes to Canada's most famous astronaut ever as he begins his new role.