Random House Canada has signed Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield to a two-book deal. The first book, An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth, which covers Hadfield’s years of training and space exploration, will be released on Oct. 29.

In a statement, Knopf Random Canada Publishing Group publisher Anne Collins says, Chris has a delightful capacity to bring home the fascinating details of what it takes to be an astronaut and what it’s like to live in microgravity, and then to dig deeper into all the surprising training and lessons learned that help him, and the whole astronaut corps, do the impossible as if it’s another day at work. On top of that, he might be the best witness we’ve ever had to the wonders of space, the fragility and beauty of our planet, and the necessity to keep pushing the envelope of space exploration.

The deal was arranged by Rick Broadhead of Rick Broadhead & Associates.