Astronaut Chris Hadfield: In Space, There Is No Problem So Bad You Can't Make It Worse

That's how retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield opened his TED 2014 talk in Vancouver on Monday evening before describing what's it's like to blast into space.

"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse," Hadfield said, referring to a popular trope in the astronaut business.

During liftoff, Hadfield said, "you are in the grip of something vastly more powerful than yourself." He added: "It feels like being in the jaws of an enormous dog and foot in your back pushing you into space."

How do you deal with the very real risk and danger? "Having the goal in mind directed me to thinking about all of the small details."

When dealing with such complicated machinery, the only thing you can do is prepare.

Last year, Hadfield, 54, spent five months on the International Space Station, including three as the first Canadian commander. Hadfield became an Internet sensation after uploading his own version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and by tweeting pictures from space.

Hadfield retired from the Canadian Space Agency last June. He's the author of "An Astronaut's Guide To Life on Earth," the star astronaut reveals more about astronaut training, spacewalks, and preparing for disasters.