Today is the last day that Col. Chris Hadfield's amazing rendition of "Space Oddity" will grace the Internet. No, this is not a joke. Let it sink in, and then scroll down and watch the best viral-video recorded in space, as many times as humanly possible. (And then once more for good measure.)
The David Bowie cover was recorded while Hadfield was stationed on the International Space Station, and it launched the astronaut into greater Internet stardom. Sadly, the year-long license, granted by Bowie's publishers to post the song, expires today. Once it expires, the video will be taken off YouTube. Hadfield, whose has an extensive web presence, alerted the world via Twitter:
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The Verge reported there are efforts being made to keep the video available onilne. "We're working with the CSA and Bowie's licensers to hopefully find a way to keep it up," said Evan, Hadfield's son and publicist. According to The Verge, he decline to comment any further.
Never fear, Hadfield has an entire YouTube channel of wonderful and quirky videos. Many of them were posted while he was living on the ISS, including a series of demonstrations of space life. (How to make a peanut butter sandwich in space, and how the urine-to-water filter works on the space station, are just a sampling.)
Hadfield spent decades dedicated to space travel, and lived on the ISS from December of 2012 until May 2013. He retired from the Canadian Space Agency in June of 2013. In a piece for Salon, Hadfield recounts the dark days when space-travel experienced some of its worst tragedies, and explains the best advice he ever received, "Don’t close the door that’s still in front of you."
Hadfield's rendition can be found below:
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