Tim Peake’s space diary as British astronaut prepares to come back down to earth now
Tim Peake becomes the forst Briton to walk in space
The 44-year-old is coming home nearly two weeks later than first planned after the European Space Agency extended his stay to keep the station at full capacity with six astronauts. Ground control to Major Tim…it’s time to come home. On Saturday, Tim Peake, the first British astronaut aboard the International Space Station, will return to Earth after six months in space.
After spending so long in zero gravity he has had to take special steps to prepare his body for conditions on Earth such as “salt loading” to help his body absorb more water, as his body holds less water in space, leaving him at risk of becoming dehydrated when he returns home.
Tim, from Chichester, Sussex, will enter a Russian Soyuz space capsule at 3.35am, undock from the space station at 6.52 and spend two hours orbiting the Earth before re-entering the atmosphere and landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan at about 10.15.
He will then head to the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, for check-ups.
During his 186 days in space the former Army Air Corps flier ran science activities for one million British kids via satellite link. Here are some other highlights from his space odyssey:
Day One – December 15 2015
Tim blows a kiss to sons Tom and Oliver before blasting off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, aboard a Russian rocket at 11.03am.
It takes him less than 10 minutes to leave Earth’s atmosphere. After a few tense minutes orbiting the planet his capsule locks on to the International Space Station.
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Day Four: Performs shaky somersaults during first press conference from space and admits he still hadn’t mastered zero gravity.
“The first 24 hours in space are pretty rough,” he says.
Head over heels
“Every time you move your head your ears send signals to the brain that do not really match your eyes, so you feel dizzy.”
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Day Five
Surprises parents by leaving a voicemail from space. Dad Nigel Peake, describes the message as “surreal” and says it will stay on their answerphone “in perpetuity”.
Day 10
Takes to Twitter to apologise for a ‘prank call’ when he accidentally dials a wrong number and calls a stranger from space.
He asks retired teacher Betty Barker, “Is this planet Earth?”, and she replies “No” assuming someone is playing a practical joke on her.
Day 21
Tim sends the first ‘God Save The Queen’ message directly to Her Majesty from space to thank her for her own message wishing him well.
Tim says: “I am humbled to be able to represent the UK and Europe onboard the ISS. It is incredible to look at the British Isles for the first time from space.”
Day 32
Tim takes his first space walk to carry out repairs on the outside of the International Space Station, 250 miles above the Earth.
He manages to take a spectacular space selfie before being forced to cut short his space walk after four hours and 43 minutes because his US colleague reports water in his helmet.
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Day 50
Tim plays ping pong with a water bubble in zero gravity as he turns the space station into a cosmic classroom, performing experiments for 300,000 schoolchildren in the UK via satellite link.
Tim plats ping pong with water
He also answers questions for the children. He tells them: “We are so privileged – we get to work up here all day, it’s like a playground of weightlessness.”
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Day 54
Tim wears his England shirt to introduce a international rugby match between England and Scotland for the BBC’s Six Nations coverage.
Having a ball
Day 58
Tim posts a stunning time lapse video of lightning on Earth, recorded from the International Space Station as it flies over North Africa and Turkey.
He says: “Amazing how much lightning can strike our planet in a short time.”
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Day 73
Tim reduces pop star Adele to tears by donning a tuxedo print T-shirt and posing in front of a Union Jack to present her with a BRIT Award for Global Success via videolink to the O2 Arena in London.
Brit winner
Tim takes the opportunity to assure Adele: “We’re all huge fans up here”.
Day 99
Tim posts a video of himself playing Space Invaders with crew mate Scott Kelly as the pair use the game to test a new ‘augmented reality’ programme called Project Sidekick.
Game on
The software allows ground control at the European Space Agency to help the astronauts onboard the ISS by showing them which switches to flip and handles to turn.
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Day 133
Tim becomes the first person to run a marathon in space, joining in the London Marathon while watching live coverage of the race on the BBC.
He runs 26 miles on a tread mill in zero gravity in three hours, 35 minutes and 21 seconds, during which time he travels twice around the planet.
Tim running the London Marathon
Tim says: “It was extremely motivating watching the event and hearing the stories of some of the 33,000 people taking part.”
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Day 138
Tim pilots a ‘Mars rover’ called Bridget from space, driving it around an indoor sandpit designed to mimic the surface of Mars in Stevenage, near London.
Remote control
The mission aims to help the European Space Agency learn how astronauts can use remote control to use buggies and other equipment on other planets.
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Day 168
Tim reads children a bedtime story Goodnight Spaceman from space live on Cbeebies. The story was written by children’s author Michelle Robinson and inspired by Tim and his sons.
Tim had already posed with Miss Mouse, a popular children’s character from the Cbeebies channel, aboard the ISS in January.
Day 171
Tim speaks to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg during the first live Facebook video to be broadcast from outer space.
During the question and answer session Tim and his crewmates reveal a freezer of real ice cream has been delivered to the ISS by SpaceX, a galactic firm launched by South African-born businessman Elon Musk.
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Day 180
Tim is the first person to be named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours while in space. He is on board the ISS when he receives the call informing him he has been recommended as Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.
He say: “This isn’t an award for me. This is to recognise the hundreds of dedicated staff who have made my Pincipia mission possible. I am only one privileged person in a complex team.”
DailyMirror