High above the Earth, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield has officially taken over command of the International Space
Station.

A small change-of-command ceremony that included the playing of O Canada took place just after 5 p.m eastern time today.
It's the first time in the space station's history that a Canadian has assumed responsibility for the giant orbiting space laboratory.

Departing commander Kevin Ford surprised Hadfield when he played the Canadian national anthem over a speaker.

A member of the ground crew also relayed congratulations to Hadfield and passed along best wishes from the Queen.

The transfer of command to the 53-year-old space veteran is the start of what's officially designated ``Expedition 35.''

Aside from Hadfield, the only other space station commander who wasn't either American or Russian was Frank De Winne of Belgium.