 |
Tim PeakeBritish Army Air Corps pilot, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and former ISS crew member
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Timothy Peake: British Astronaut and Space Pioneer
- Test Pilot and Academic Pursuits
- Selection as an ESA Astronaut
- Isolated Mission Preparation
- NEEMO 16 Underwater Mission
- Mission to the International Space Station (ISS)
- Spacewalks and a Marathon in Space
- Return to Earth and Legacy
- Personal Life and Interests
Timothy Peake: British Astronaut and Space Pioneer
Early Life and Military CareerBorn in Chichester, England, on April 7, 1972, Timothy Nigel "Tim" Peake attended Chichester High School for Boys before enrolling in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1990. Upon graduation, he served as a second lieutenant in the British Army Air Corps from August 8, 1992. Peake excelled as a platoon commander with the Royal Green Jackets before rising to the rank of lieutenant on August 8, 1994, and captain on August 20. He qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1994 and became a helicopter flying instructor in 1998. In 2004, he earned the rank of major at the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire.
Test Pilot and Academic Pursuits
Peake completed his education in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree (first class honors) in flight dynamics from the University of Portsmouth. In 2006, he left the army after 17 years of service and over 3,000 flying hours to become a test pilot for the Anglo-Italian company AgustaWestland.
Selection as an ESA Astronaut
Out of over 9,000 applicants, Peake was chosen as one of six for the new European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut training program. The selection process involved academic testing, aptitude assessments, and numerous interviews. Peake relocated to Cologne, Germany, with his family to undergo ESA training.
Isolated Mission Preparation
To prepare for the confined environment of the ISS, Peake joined five other astronauts in 2011 for an international mission that explored cave systems in Sardinia under extreme conditions and isolation.
NEEMO 16 Underwater Mission
On April 16, 2012, NASA announced Peake's selection as an aquanaut for the Aquarius underwater laboratory as part of the NEEMO 16 exploration mission. The mission began on June 12 and the crew successfully returned to the surface on June 22.
Mission to the International Space Station (ISS)
Peake launched to the ISS on December 15, 2015, as part of the ISS-46/47 crew aboard Soyuz TMA-19M with Timothy Kopra and Yuri Malenchenko. During the launch, he listened to "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen, "Beautiful Day" by U2, and "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay.
Despite a failure of the automated Kurs docking system, Malenchenko manually docked the Soyuz with the ISS at 17:33 GMT. After receiving messages from Queen Elizabeth II and Elton John, Peake enjoyed a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea for his first meal on the ISS.
Spacewalks and a Marathon in Space
Peake provided safety support for the first spacewalk of two American astronauts on December 21, 2015. On January 15, 2016, he became the first British astronaut to venture outside the ISS, replacing a faulty voltage regulator. On April 24, 2016, Peake ran the 2016 London Marathon on the ISS treadmill, becoming the first male to run a marathon in space and the second overall after Sunita Williams.
Return to Earth and Legacy
After 186 days in space and approximately 3,000 orbits around Earth, Peake returned to Earth on June 18, 2016, in the Soyuz descent module. The capsule landed in the Kazakh steppe, approximately 147 kilometers southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan.
Peake remains a passionate advocate for international space exploration. He supports the nomination of the ISS for the Nobel Peace Prize and believes that collaborative projects such as the ISS are crucial for future space endeavors. In the wake of testing the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in 2018, Peake expressed his belief that Mars colonization will become a reality in the near future.
Personal Life and Interests
Tim Peake is married to Rebecca, with whom he has two sons. He enjoys rock climbing, caving, fell running, and triathlons.
