Hadfield was in Okemos Sunday for a book signing for his memoir “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth.”­?

SN: Did your experiences in space change your perspective about Earth and humanity? How?

CH: It didn’t really change it, I don’t think. It deepens whatever you believe, it’s a very reinforcing experience. I think the only real change is when you’re talking about ‘us and them’, you lose your sense of ‘them’ and you gain a pervasive sense of ‘us.’ … It makes everyone seem like just another member of the same group.

How have you seen the Canadian Space Agency and NASA change in terms of space exploration and research?

I think it’s really maturing well. … You go from the probe stage to the habitation stage. It’s how we’ve explored over the entire surface of the world. … Right now we’ve inhabited low-earth orbit for the last 13 years. I think the next ?logical step will be the moon, and then eventually Mars, but we’ve got to invent a lot of things between now and then.

Do you think that your use of social media signifies a changing role for astronauts when it comes to scientific education and outreach?

Mostly it’s an indication of a change in technology. To be able now to take a picture and immediately share it with the world … (using) some really creative technology to share it instantaneously around the planet makes a huge difference. … We can really let people on board, and millions ?of people respond because that’s a natural level of interest.

What advice would you give to MSU students who perhaps dream of becoming an astronaut?

Keep your body in shape, on a daily basis. … Don’t eat food that’s bad for you and exercise a little bit. … Get an advanced technical education, one that challenges your brain, that really pushes you to the limit of your ability to learn things. … Go into a field afterwards where you have a level of responsibility with consequence, practice and learn how to make good decisions.