Astronaut Chris Hadfield has spent the last 5 months of his life in outer space on the International Space Station and on Monday, May 13, he is scheduled to return to Earth. So how does one commemorate their time spent in a place others only dream of? You make a video cover of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ and release it on YouTube!

It used to be that one could only imagine what it would be like in outer space, but in this 5 minute clip, Hadfield manages to bring that wonderment home as he is seen floating in zero-gravity strumming his acoustic guitar and showing views of the earth very few people get to witness in person.

The vocals and guitar were actually recorded in space but the piano and the rest of the arrangement was edited in here on Earth with the help of music producer Joe Corcoran, piano arranger Emm Gryner, video editor Andrew Tidby and the Commander’s son, Evan Hadfield all coming together to produce this haunting and gorgeous rendition. What makes it even more special is that some of the words have been modified to reflect Hadfield’s return to Kazakhstan via the Soyuz capsule.

Hatfield has become somewhat of an internet sensation posting on social media (like Twitter and Tumblr) about his time in space while also uploading YouTube videos to promote space science. The astronaut has tackled such subjects as how to safely clip your fingernails in zero gravity, how to cook spinach and why you can’t cry in space. His videos are entertaining and it can clearly be seen how much he loves being an astronaut.

This video is also somewhat bittersweet as it most likely documents the last time Commander Hatfield will be on the ISS, much less any other Canadian astronaut. Just like the space program here in the U.S., the Canadian government has also had to cut back on their manned missions due to budget restraints.

So it seems rather apropos that the video was uploaded on the final day of his time on the ISS. In a separate YouTube video, Hatfield states, “Enormous thanks to everybody on Earth who makes this possible. It’s been a very special time for us on board.”

Check out his cover of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ below:

Source: Forbes