Retired astronaut answers amazing questions about space

WHAT would you ask an astronaut? Retired spaceman answers the most fascinating questions to all the things you've always wanted to know about space.

Did you know you fart more in space? Retired astronaut Col Chris Hadfield answers fascinating questions from the internet abo...

SPACE is a curious place. Only a tiny percentage of mankind have ever left our atmosphere so when we get the chance to quiz them on what it's like, what's the first thing we're going to ask? Can you fart in space, obviously.

Col Chris Hadfield has recently returned to Earth following a five month stint living aboard the International Space Station. The now retired Canadian astronaut made internet fame through his YouTube videos of him singing and playing guitar in space, brushing his teeth, Tweeting his view of Earth and having the best moustache since Tom Selleck. Now he's taken to the website Reddit to field more questions from curious Reddit users on what his experience of space life was like and we've picked the best of the bunch:

Q: Is it possible for someone to get stuck floating in the middle of a room in the ISS?

A: Yes, it is - you can get stuck floating in the centre of Node 1, where open space is biggest due to hatches on all sides. But ISS has fans and forced air to mix and refresh the internal atmosphere, so there's always a small crosswind. Wait long enough, you'll get pulled to an air inlet.

Q: Do you fart more or less in space?

A: More - because it's impossible to burp when weightless (the gas, liquid and solid in your stomach all mix together).

Q: Would farting push you far enough to get unstuck?

A: We all tried it - too muffled, not the right type of propulsive nozzle :)

Q: Have you had any close call/accidents while in orbit?

A: I was blinded by contamination in my spacesuit during my 1st space walk. It was the anti-fog used on my visor, took about 30 minutes for my eyes to tear enough to dilute it so that I could see again. Without gravity, tears don't fall, so they had to evaporate. No way to rub your eyes inside the helmet

Q: What happens if you sneeze in a helmet?

A: When we have to sneeze in our spacesuit, we lean our heads forward and sneeze into our chest, to keep it from splattering on the visor. Still messy, but the best compromise - clean it up when you de-suit.

Q: What's your favourite city to look at from space?

A: Cool question. As I think about it I'm mentally playing back all the imagery and feeling of seeing cities from ISS. My favourites are the big, old cities, as they are well-lit testaments to history and culture - London, Paris, Cairo.

Q: Where do you see manned spaceflight going in the future?

A: I see human spaceflight moving ever-outward from Earth. The logical sequence is Earth orbit, the Moon, asteroids, Mars. We have so much to learn/invent at each step, and there's no rush. It needs to be both driven and paced by technology, and drawn by science, discovery and then business.

Q: Do you believe in extraterrestrials?

A: I've always thought that was an odd way to ask. 'Believing' and 'believing in' are two different things. Our best telescopes have shown us that there is basically an unlimited number of planets in the universe. To think that Earth is the only one where life could have developed is just self-importance. But to think that intelligent life has travelled all the way here and is sneaking around observing us is also just self-importance. The universe is basically endless. We have not yet found life anywhere but on Earth, but we're looking for it, to the best of our technical ability. All else is wishful thinking and science fiction.

Q: If you could have any animal in the ISS with you, what would it be?

A: It's a strange environment, weightlessness. I wouldn't want to bring an animal that would be scared or unable to adapt. Also food and pooping are problematic. So perhaps something calm and simple, a reliable pet, like a snail.

Q: How would you describe space to someone who hasn't been there?

A: Space is profound, endless, a textured black, a bottomless eternal bucket of untouchable velvet and untwinkling stars.

Col Chris Hadfield continues to answer questions about his experience on Reddit.