When the first astronauts step out on to the dusty red surface of Mars sometime in the next two decades or so, Colonel Chris Hadfield is confident at least one of them will be wearing a maple leaf on his or her spacesuit. It sounds crazy, but when Canada’s senior and best-known astronaut is laying it out, it begins to make sense. “The countries that are leading the effort to go to Mars have the best chance of providing the hardware and thus the people to go,” Col. Hadfield says, ticking off his fingers to emphasize his points.