Take off, eh: Canada's Hadfield blasts off for 5-month space station visit

 U.S. astronaut Thomas Marshburn, left, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, center, and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, members of the next mission to the International Space Station, pose for the media after a news conference in the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. Hadfield is set to blast off today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a mission that is to see him become the first Canadian to command the International Space Station. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP,Dmitry Lovetsky

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan - Chris Hadfield has successfully blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a mission that is to see him become the first Canadian to command the International Space Station. Hadfield is travelling to the space station on board a Russian Soyuz capsule for a five-month visit to the giant orbiting space lab. He is sharing the trip to the space station with NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko. During his stay, the 53-year-old space veteran, an avid guitar player, plans to do some strumming to help him deal with homesickness... Continue reading...