I'm going to blow a gasket if I hear, read or watch another news story of Major (Rtd) Tim Peake announcing him as the 'First Briton in Space'.
NO HE IS NOT!!!
Ms Helen Sharman OBE was the first Brit in space in 1991 (yes, 24 years ago!) travelling on the same sort of rocket as Tim to a space station - although her's was
MIR. Also, Michael Foale CBE was technically the second as a dual UK/US national who flew no less than 6 Space Shuttle missions between 1992 and 2004.
So technically Tim Peake's flight tomorrow is the 8th Brit to go to space - certainly not the first as the media would have us believe. All the more remarkable is that our first astronaut was a woman and that is a fact to be celebrated and not ignored - given that it was only 63 years after we, as men, allowed women the same rights to vote as us (which is another shameful act of convenient forgetfulness that we have).
Anyway, good luck to Maj (Rtd) Peake tomorrow, and if you're reading this and you work in the media - he is not the first!!!!
LJ
