Astronaut Chris Hadfield’s new book ‘The Defector’ draws on pilot days

TORONTO — Canadian astronaut and author Chris Hadfield says he drew on his combat pilot experience for an upcoming Soviet-era novel.

“The Defector” follows NASA flight controller and former U.S. test pilot Kaz Zameckis as he’s pulled into high-stakes espionage after witnessing a Soviet fighter jet disappear.

It’s the next instalment in Hadfield’s “Apollo Murders” series.

Hadfield says he drew from his time as a test pilot in both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, as well as his time as a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

At NASA, Hadfield was a capsule communicator for 25 shuttle missions, NASA’s director of operations in Russia and served as commander of the International Space Station. 

The book will be published by Random House Canada and comes out Oct. 10.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2023.

The Canadian Press