Astronaut Chris Hadfield releases album recorded on International Space Station

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield announced the release of his first album, entirely recorded in orbit, via Twitter Friday morning.

The spaceman-turned-singer/songwriter's collection of 11 original songs is fittingly named Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can.

The first Canadian to walk in space, Hadfield is also a talented musician whose affinity for music first went viral with his zero-gravity cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." He spent a total of 144 days aboard the International Space Station, and recorded the entire album from inside.

Explaining the album on Canada A.M. in September, Hadfield said he hopes Space Sessions will help listeners gain a clearer understanding of what living on the ISS is like. "Maybe, like 'Oddity' did, [the album will] let people feel a little bit more what it's like to live on a space ship," he said.

The astronaut, motivational speaker and musician said he built a makeshift studio in the cramped station, using Apple's Garage Band application to record his music. Many of his songs reflect on the life-changing experience of watching Earth from beyond its atmosphere.

"The feeling of hush and reverence when you are floating weightless at the window of the spaceship and watching the sunset pour across the world and thinking of what that's doing and the influence on lives, and how you have this privileged position to see it, it really changes how you feel," he told Canada A.M.

"I think it changes how you would paint or how you would write poetry, and it definitely affects how you write music."

Hadfield released several lyric videos ahead of his album release. His updated folk and blues sound was explored in "Daughter of My Sins," and "Ride That Lightning." The album is on sale now for $12.99; all proceeds from the project will be donated toward music education in his home country.