He is not, however, the first Briton to go into space.
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The astronauts that are journeying to the International Space Station today will have the opportunity to watch the latest movie while in orbit.
The two astronauts are huge fans of the iconic Liverpool rock and roll band – so much so the last time Kopra visited the ISS he took this incredible picture of the Bunnymen’s Ocean Rain from space.
Peake is joined on this expedition by the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, and NASA astronaut, Tim Kopra.
Tim Peake, 43, joins Russian space veteran Yury Malenchenko and Tim Kopra of NASA for a six-month mission on board the ISS. Malenchenko took control of the Soyuz, backed it away from the station and then guided the capsule in for a manual docking. He is also the first fully British professional astronaut working for a space agency. Nearly ten minutes after the scheduled time, the Soyuz arrived and docked with the International Space Station, according to updates from The Guardian. Major Peake is employed by the European Space Agency (Esa) and sports a Union flag on his sleeve.
He will spend six months aboard the ISS – an orbiting laboratory that speeds through space at 17,500mph some 248 miles above Earth.
Peake’s mission, called Principia after Isaac Newton’s seminal work, includes a number of scientific experiments, such as testing the use of nitric oxide gas as a tool to monitor lung inflammation.
Among them will be a UK-designed test to check for problems suffered by astronauts – including visual complications and sickness – caused by increased brain pressure.
Speaking about the launch, his wife Rebecca said: “Wasn’t it an unbelievable sight?”
“In this case, we have a European astronaut of British nationality together with a Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut in a tiny Soyuz capsule, which I always compare with a toilet in an aeroplane”.
Dr Scott will review Tim’s exercise and results every week, and suggest changes to keep Tim interested, and also to keep him in tip-top, some might even say “Peake” condition.
Her Majesty added that she hopes the astronaut’s work on the “Space Station will serve as an inspiration to a new generation of scientists and engineers”.
“I don’t think I’ll be setting any personal bests”, he said.
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“It’s vitally important now that the United Kingdom does get involved in human spaceflight, because we’re already looking towards 2024 and life beyond the International Space Station”, he said.
