Q&A with Chris Hadfield

I’ll start off with a question about the engineering side of things. I wanted to ask you how your background in engineering has shaped your career and the opportunities it has created for you over the years.

I grew up on a farm, so I was always operating mechanical things. From an early age, I recognized that the quality of life we have is due to the leverage provided by engineering, whether it’s mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or any other field. These disciplines enable the quality of life we expect. This realization is what drove me to study mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering. Throughout my career, that fundamental grounding in how things work—the theory behind them, the practical application—has helped support every planning decision I’ve made, as well as the real-time operational decisions I’ve faced. Whether I was a combat fighter pilot, an engineering test pilot, or an astronaut for 21 years, that engineering background was essential. Now, in my work with business and running several companies, having a solid foundation in engineering is an essential advantage in making informed decisions. For me, it’s a great base upon which to build everything else.

Do you have any advice for the next generation of engineers and engineering students? How can they utilize their trade to create meaningful impact for Canada’s future?

Engineering students have been around for 10,000 years. People have always studied how things work and how to build them—whether it was to create the pyramids, aqueducts, or anything else that shaped human civilization. There’s nothing new about studying engineering. What’s important now is that the current crop of students deeply understand the levels of technology that exist today. They need to comprehend the basic principles of engineering and how things work. In an undergraduate degree, what you’re really learning is how to learn—how to find information and solve problems. You’re not going to build the Eiffel Tower with just an undergraduate degree, but you’ll know where to look for solutions and understand the fundamental theories. It’s about educating yourself further and building on what we already know. Use all the tools available to you. When I went through school, there was a certain level of computer technology and tools like engineering handbooks and slide rules. But those tools are constantly evolving. Use everything available to you, and understand that the pace of invention is accelerating. A century ago, someone with an engineering degree would have had a significant edge over most people, but today, much of what you learn may be outdated by the time you’re in your career. Engineering students need to be prepared to keep learning and improving their skills throughout their careers. The tools and understanding will evolve, and as an engineer, you’ll need to evolve with them. 

With the rapid developments in AI, robotics, and automation, how do you see these technologies changing how we operate aircraft on Earth and in space in the near future?

Engineering students have been around for 10,000 years. People have always studied how things work and how to build them—whether it was to create the pyramids, aqueducts, or anything else that shaped human civilization. There’s nothing new about studying engineering. What’s important now is that the current crop of students deeply understand the levels of technology that exist today. They need to comprehend the basic principles of engineering and how things work. In an undergraduate degree, what you’re really learning is how to learn—how to find information and solve problems. You’re not going to build the Eiffel Tower with just an undergraduate degree, but you’ll know where to look for solutions and understand the fundamental theories. It’s about educating yourself further and building on what we already know. Use all the tools available to you. When I went through school, there was a certain level of computer technology and tools like engineering handbooks and slide rules. But those tools are constantly evolving. Use everything available to you, and understand that the pace of invention is accelerating. A century ago, someone with an engineering degree would have had a significant edge over most people, but today, much of what you learn may be outdated by the time you’re in your career. Engineering students need to be prepared to keep learning and improving their skills throughout their careers. The tools and understanding will evolve, and as an engineer, you’ll need to evolve with them. 

With growing concerns about climate change and environmental sustainability, how do you think the aerospace and aviation industries can adapt to meet the demand for sustainable solutions while still pushing the boundaries of innovation and exploration?

The need for transportation, including aviation, will continue to grow as the population increases and quality of life improves. There are currently 117,000 commercial flights every day—that’s more than one per second! Yet, thanks to technological advances, we don’t think twice about the complexity involved. Flights operate safely, even in bad weather, and that’s almost magical. The human need for air transport is going to continue, so the real question is: how can we use engineering and innovation to make that transportation more sustainable? One way is to improve the sustainability of fuels, and there’s already a lot of work being done on that front. Aviation fuel is being produced in 100% recyclable ways using sustainable energy sources. The biggest challenge is scaling that technology to meet demand and making it cost-effective. But the technology exists. In the long term, companies like EICOS are building electric commuter airplanes that could carry up to 76 passengers. They’re aiming to have these planes in the skies within six years, but for short-haul flights—not transatlantic flights, as we don’t yet have the battery power density for that. The real breakthrough will be in energy production—figuring out how to harness energy sustainably. There are companies working on technologies that take hydrogen, oxygen, and other elements from the air, creating a closed cycle that doesn’t contribute to global warming. This is still far from reality, but the potential is there. We need to prioritize it, and we need smart engineers to tackle this challenge. People will continue to need transportation—cars, boats, airplanes—and our goal should be to evolve these technologies to be as sustainable as possible while ensuring the health of people and the planet.