Tim Peake Spaceship to arrive in U.K.

The UK has bought the capsule that sent Tim Peake into space and returned him to Earth.

20:44 06 December 2016

The soyuz capsule that brought Major Tim Peake into space and returned him to Earth will arrive in the United Kingdom in 2017 and would go on display in the Science Museum in London. The Russian Soyuz TMA-19M craft has been refurbished but is still slightly signed from re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.    

 

Major Peake was “absolutely delighted about the news”. 

 

"Hopefully it may act as an inspiration for the next generation of scientists and engineers," he said.

 

"Flying into space is a huge privilege but it also comes with risk and one of the highest risk areas are launch into space and re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

 

"The Soyuz spacecraft is designed to protect the crew from these harsh conditions. So you get very attached to your spacecraft because it definitely does save your life."

 

Britain's first astronaut, Helen Sharman, was equally delighted with the acquisition. She said:  "I think it is a tremendous thing to have Tim's capsule. Not just a Soyuz capsule - but it is Tim's. 

 

And the fact that we know that our astronaut was actually inside it - he physically sweated inside that suit, he looked outside of that window and saw what it was like to re-enter Earth's atmosphere - it really provides us with the link to our own astronauts,"