MajorTim.space

The spacecraft that carried Tim Peake to and from the International Space Station (ISS) last year has gone on display at London’s Science Museum.

The museum says, the Russian capsule, is an important part of UK space history and hopes it will inspire the public.

The Soyuz TMA-19M has been refurbished, but is still slightly singed from re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Business Secretary Greg Clark has confirmed that Major Peake will make a second mission to the space station.

The timing will be decided by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Mr Clark said: “Tim Peake’s Principia mission inspired a generation, and showed just how far science can take you”.

Tim Peake said he was delighted to see the capsule in the UK: “I hope that for everybody who gets to visit it will have a really great source of inspiration and maybe sow the seeds of future dreams for other people”.

Just over a year ago, Tim Peake set off for his mission to the International Space Station.

Executives at the Science Museum hope the spacecraft’s connection to the British astronaut will prove a major draw.

The right-hand seat was Tim’s and from it he looked out of the window and saw the curvature of the Earth for the first time.  It was also from this window that he witnessed what it was like to re-enter the atmosphere at the end of his mission.

The spacecraft provides the UK with a link to its own astronauts and a reminder of its role in space exploration.

The Science Museum says that it wants the display to inspire those that see it, especially children – many of whom might wish to follow in Major Peake’s footsteps.

Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon, died Monday January 16th aged 82, surrounded by his family.

Cernan, a Captain in the U.S. Navy, left his mark on the history of exploration by flying three times in space, twice to the Moon.  He also holds the distinction of being the second American to walk in space and the last human to leave his footprints on the Lunar surface.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement after Cernan’s death, “Truly, America has lost a patriot and pioneer who helped shape our country’s bold ambitions to do things that humankind had never before achieved”.

A statement from Cernan’s family said in part, “Even at the age of 82, Gene was passionate about sharing his desire to see the continued human exploration of space and encouraged our nation’s leaders and young people to not let him remain the last man to walk on the Moon”.

Gene Cernan was one of 14 astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963.  He piloted the Gemini 9 mission with Commander Thomas P. Stafford on a three-day flight in June 1966.  He logged more than two hours outside the orbiting capsule.

In May 1969, he was the Lunar module pilot of Apollo 10, the first comprehensive lunar-orbital qualification and verification test of the lunar lander.  The mission confirmed the performance, stability, and reliability of the Apollo command, service and lunar modules.  The mission included a descent to within eight nautical miles of the Moon’s surface.

“We leave as we came, and, God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind”. – Cernan’s closing words on leaving the moon at the end of Apollo 17.

Hidden Figures, based on a true story.  A team of African-American women provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program’s first successful space missions.

The incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) – Brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world.  The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

Watch the Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK8xHq6dfAo

Vera Rubin, from Philadelphia, helped find powerful evidence of dark matter by discovering galaxies don’t quite rotate in the way they were predicted.  Sadly died aged 88, her son said on Monday.

She died on Sunday evening (25.12.16) of natural causes, Allan Rubin told the Associated Press.  The professor of geosciences at Princeton University said his mother, a Philadelphia native, had been living in the Princeton area.

Vera Rubin found that galaxies don’t quite rotate the way they were predicted, and that lent support to the theory that some other force was at work, namely dark matter.

Dark matter, which hasn’t been directly observed, makes up 27% of the universe – as opposed to 5% of the universe being normal observable matter. Scientists better understand what dark matter is not rather than what it is.

Rubin’s scientific achievements earned her numerous honours, including becoming the second female astronomer to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences. She also received the National Medal of Science from President Bill Clinton in 1993 ‘for her pioneering research programs in observational cosmology’.

Her interest in astronomy began as a young girl and grew with the involvement of her father, Philip Cooper, an electrical engineer who helped her build a telescope and took her to meetings of amateur astronomers.

Rubin earned her doctorate from Georgetown University, where she was later employed as a faculty member for several years before working at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, a nonprofit scientific research centre.

During her career, Rubin examined more than 200 galaxies.

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Have a Cosmic Christmas!
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/137900808/

It has been one year since Tim Peake’s Launch!
On the 15th of December 2015 Tim Peake launched into space, and many events went on around the UK!

It was a exciting day for many children and adults alike.
In sub-zero temperatures in Kazakhstan, Dallas Campbell reported live from the Soyuz rocket launch site.

What a fantastic year Tim Peake has had, inspiring so many people with his amazing research on the ISS, His return to Earth, The fantastic Principia Tour, The Principia School Conferences and so much more!

The UK has bought the capsule which took Tim Peake into space and returned him to Earth!
The Capsule will go on display at the Science Museum in London early next year (2017)!

The Russian Soyuz TMA-19M craft has been refurbished, but is still slightly singed from re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Major Peake told BBC News that he was “absolutely delighted” to hear his spacecraft would be brought to the UK.

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

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, said she hoped the acquisition would have an inspirational effect.

“I think it is a tremendous thing to have Tim’s capsule.  Not just a Soyuz capsule – but it is Tim’s.  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,” she told BBC News.

The space suit used by Helen Sharman on her mission to the Mir space station in 1991 is on display at the Science Museum.

She said that it was important to have real artefacts that had actually been in orbit for people in the UK to view.

“Even now, 25 years after my space flight, people want to touch me even though every cell in body has probably regenerated” she said.

“It is really significant (having Tim’s Soyuz in the UK). It is not a mock up, it is not a simulator, it is not someone else’s Soyuz. The fact that our own astronaut actually did things inside provides us with a connection to human spaceflight.

“It might only be psychological as it will look very similar to other Soyuz spacecrafts that have actually re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, but it’s not – this is Tim’s.”

Keep an eye on my blog for updates!

50 years ago today the First Soyuz Spacecraft launched – Still taking astronauts/cosmonauts to space, latest being Thomas Pesquet, Peggy Whitson and Oleg Novitskiy!

Apollo software engineer Margaret Hamilton was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom today by President Barack Obama for her contribution to the Apollo 11 Moon landing 47 years ago!

Read about Margaret here: https://majortim.space/inspirational-women/

Tim Peake has just written his first book, and it is now available to buy in all good book shops and online!
It’s a must have for anyone who loves Astronomy!
Very interesting book with lots of fascinating pictures of Earth from The International Space Station!
Tim is donating all the proceeds from his book to ‘The Prince’s Trust’.
You may be wondering why he called his book ‘Hello, is the planet Earth?’  well you  might of already heard of this incident, but just in case you haven’t this is what happened………….
There was a time when Tim phoned a wrong number from The International Space Station (ISS) He thought he that he was ringing his sister, so decided to say to her “Hello, is this planet Earth…?”   Of course the lady who answered the phone wasn’t his sister, so she answered (quite annoyed!) “No it is not!” and put the phone down, there and then Tim felt genuinely bad because she obviously thought that is was prank caller on Christmas Eve (she didn’t realise that she was speaking to the First British ESA Astronaut on board The ISS!).
He Tweeted out to her and said “I’d just like to apologise to the lady that I just called by mistake saying “Hello, is this planet Earth?” – Not a prank call just a wrong number!
He got an incredible response from Twitter, it went around the world and people loved it!