OTTAWA--The Bank of Canada had some extraterrestrial help unveiling its new plastic bank notes.
Cmdr. Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut commanding the International Space Station, introduced the new $5 polymer note via satellite from space.
A floating Hadfield chatted with Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty as the note spun around like the hands on a clock in the absence of gravity.
The $5 bill features images of the Canadarm and Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency's robotic handyman, while the $10 -- also revealed today -- has a picture of a train on it.
The new notes will go into circulation in November, joining the other polymer bills that were previously introduced.
The bank says the polymer notes last two-and-a-half times longer than the old, cotton-paper bills.
