‘Star Wars’ to be screened at the Int’l Space Station

His first scientific task is already underway: During his transit from Earth to ISS in the Soyuz rocket, Peake was expected to fill out a questionnaire on any headaches he experienced.

Britain’s star astronaut Tim Peake has started his mission on the International Space Station (ISS) after a ideal rocket launch watched by his family.

Peake docked safely at the space station on Tuesday, along with the Russian Yuri Malenchenko and NASA’s Timothy Kopra.

He also revealed that Christmas had almost slipped his mind in the hectic run up to the launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launching pad was the same one that launched the first human spaceflight in 1961, with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft can fly autonomously, through programs activated by the mission crew and ground control team, but manual control capabilities are included in case of any difficulty.

YOUNG people in Bolton witnessed a historic moment and cheered as Tim Peake blasted off into space just minutes ago.

Major Tim Peake emerges from the Soyuz space capsule hatch at the International Space Station. The first Briton in space was Helen Sharman, who was chosen by British companies to travel in the Soviet Mir space station for eight days in 1991.

Well-wishers gathered waving Union Flags, cheering and shouting “Go Tim” as Maj Peake and his two crew companions departed from the Cosmonaut Hotel for their flight.

Colonel Timothy L Kopra spent three months aboard the International Space Station taking with him a signed copy of the Bunnymen’s 1984 classic.

Although the relationship between Russian Federation and the United Kingdom has been strained for some time, the joint space programme clearly shows that there are areas they still can work together in – and achieve collective success for the entire mankind.

He will be the first British astronaut to join the ISS crew – and the first “official” British astronaut in space.

“Tim’s sons Thomas and Oliver had joined in the countdown to launch”.

The flight to the ISS is estimated to take only six hours.

Previous “Brits in space” have either had US or dual citizenship and worked for the American space agency NASA, or were on privately funded or sponsored trips.

In the end the docking went smoothly and the Soyuz was firmly attached to the space station.

Rebecca was heard to say: “Wasn’t it an incredible sight?” The latter two have been on the orbiting space station since March and are on a yearlong mission.