CAMBRIDGE — A Cambridge group dedicated to getting guitars into the hands of children is about to receive a gift that is out of this world.

Guitars For Kids, a not-for-profit organization committed to fixing donated guitars and giving them free to children who want to learn to play, was selected as the recipient of an autographed guitar donated by famed Canadian astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield.

Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space and the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station, offered to donate his Yamaha guitar after its bridge broke.

The astronaut and YouTube celebrity, beloved for his educational yet approachable way of describing the science of living in space, made the public pitch Nov. 30 on his Twitter account, which has a massive following of 1.5 million.

Although the guitar wasn’t the one Hadfield used to make his album, "Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can", recorded entirely in space, thousands begged for the instrument.

Hadfield’s tweet generated such a response it shut down servers, according to Dan Walsh, president of Cambridge Live Music, which oversees the Guitars For Kids program.

“They had requests from all over the world for this guitar.”

Guitars For Kids made a formal request for the astronaut’s guitar, describing the group’s efforts to repair broken or unwanted guitars and give them to children, ensuring that even kids who can’t afford an instrument have an opportunity to add music to their lives.

Though he had fingers crossed, Walsh sent the request and then put it at the back of his mind.