Tim Peake Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Tim Peake CMG HonFIET
Peake in 2013
Born	Timothy Nigel Peake (1972-04-07) 7 April 1972 (age 53) Chichester, Sussex, England
Status	Retired
Alma mater	University of Portsmouth (BSc)
Occupation	Test pilot and astronaut
Awards	Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Space career
ESA astronaut
Previous occupation	British Army officer
Rank	Major
Time in space	185 days, 22 hours, 11 minutes
Selection	2009 ESA Group
Total EVAs	1
Total EVA time	4 hours, 43 minutes
Missions	Soyuz TMA-19M (Expedition 46/47)
Mission insignia

Timothy Nigel Peake (born 7 April 1972) is a British European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, a former British Army officer, and an author. He is famous for being the first British ESA astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS).

Tim Peake was the second astronaut to wear a United Kingdom flag patch in space, after Helen Sharman. He was also the sixth person born in the UK to go to the International Space Station. He started his astronaut training in September 2009 and finished it in November 2010.

Early Life and School
Military Career and Flying
Becoming an ESA Astronaut
Mission to the International Space Station (ISS)
Supporting the Nobel Peace Prize
Personal Life
Awards and Recognition
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and School

Tim Peake was born in Chichester, Sussex, England, on April 7, 1972. He grew up in a place called Westbourne. He went to Chichester High School for Boys and finished there in 1990. After school, he joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to train for the army.

Military Career and Flying

After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Tim Peake joined the Army Air Corps in 1992. He became a second lieutenant and later a lieutenant.

In 1994, he became a qualified helicopter pilot. By 1998, he was also a qualified helicopter instructor. He was promoted to major in 2004. The next year, he graduated from the Empire Test Pilots School, which is a special school for test pilots. He even won an award for being the best helicopter student! He then worked on testing Apache helicopters.

Tim also earned a degree in Flight Dynamics and Evaluation from the University of Portsmouth. He left the army in 2009 after 17 years. During his time in the army, he flew for over 3,000 hours. After leaving, he became a test pilot for a company called AgustaWestland.

Becoming an ESA Astronaut

Tim Peake during the NEEMO 16 mission, where he lived underwater.

In 2009, Tim Peake was chosen to join the European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut team. He was picked from over 8,000 people who applied! The selection process included many tests, like academic exams, fitness checks, and interviews. Tim moved to Cologne, Germany, with his family for his ESA training.

Tim Peake was the first British person to fly into space without a private contract or foreign citizenship. Other British-born astronauts had either paid for their trip or had citizenship in another country.

As part of his astronaut training in 2011, Tim and five other astronauts went on a special mission. They lived and explored cave systems in Sardinia, Italy. This mission, called ESA CAVES, helped them learn how people react to living in extreme, isolated conditions. It gave them an idea of what it would be like in the small space of the International Space Station.

In 2012, Tim Peake also became an "aquanaut." He lived in an underwater laboratory called Aquarius for 12 days during the NEEMO 16 mission. This experience helped him prepare for living in confined spaces like the ISS.

Mission to the International Space Station (ISS)

Tim Peake launched to the International Space Station on December 15, 2015. He was part of Expedition 46 and Expedition 47. He launched successfully from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft. His mission had a special website called principia.org.uk.

During the launch, astronauts traditionally get to choose three songs to be played. Tim picked "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen, "Beautiful Day" by U2, and "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay.

Tim Peake working inside the Columbus module of the ISS.

When the spacecraft was trying to connect to the ISS, the automatic docking system had a problem. So, the pilot, Yuri Malenchenko, had to dock the spacecraft manually. This made the docking take 10 minutes longer. Tim received messages of support from the Queen and Elton John after they successfully docked. His first meal on the ISS was a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea!

Tim Peake celebrating 100 days in space with Commander Tim Kopra.

Tim Peake helped two American astronauts with a spacewalk in December 2015. On January 15, 2016, he made history by participating in the first spacewalk by a British astronaut outside the ISS. The spacewalk was to fix a part on the station's solar panels.

Tim Peake during his first spacewalk.

In February 2016, Tim even presented an award to singer Adele at the Brit Awards, live from space!

On April 24, 2016, Tim Peake ran the 2016 London Marathon from the ISS treadmill. He became the first man to run a marathon from space. He was the second person overall to do this, after astronaut Sunita Williams.

Tim Peake was given a special award called the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 2016. This was for his great work in space research and teaching people about science.

On June 18, 2016, Tim Peake returned to Earth from the ISS. His spacecraft landed in Kazakhstan. He had orbited the Earth about 3,000 times and traveled an amazing 125 million kilometers (78 million miles)!

Supporting the Nobel Peace Prize

Tim Peake believes the International Space Station partnership should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He said that the ISS has been an "incredible international partnership" that has brought many nations together, even during difficult times. He thinks that working together on projects like the ISS is important for future space exploration, especially as space budgets become tighter.

Personal Life

Tim Peake is married to Rebecca, and they have two sons. He enjoys activities like climbing, caving, running, and triathlon.

When he was younger, Tim was a Cub Scout. Now, he is an ambassador for the Prince's Trust and the Scout Association in the UK. He also supports STEM Learning, which encourages young people to study science, technology, engineering, and math.

Awards and Recognition

In October 2016, Tim Peake received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Leicester. In May 2021, he was given an Honorary Fellowship by the Institution of Engineering and Technology for his amazing contributions to space exploration and engineering.

	Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)	Awarded in 2016 for his services to space research and science education.
	NATO Former Republic of Yugoslavia Medal
	General Service Medal	With clasp 'Northern Ireland'
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	Awarded in 2002.