Well done Timmy and the AAC.

The cynic in me believes this to be ESA's latest publicity stunt. Chances of them getting a ride on anything any time soon is unlikely, even less so given the upcoming retirement of the last space-worthy Shuttle. The Rooshians and yanks will have first dibs on Soyuz and, as for ESA's manned spaceflight programme, last time I looked it was still at the 'planning stage'. Will probably play second fiddle to Galileo for many years to come.

Ok, someone's got to do it...

Ground Control to Major Tim
Ground Control to Major Tim
Take your protein pills
and put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tim
Commencing countdown,
engines on
Check ignition
and may God's love be with you

[spoken]
Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Liftoff

This is Ground Control
to Major Tim
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule
if you dare

This is Major Tim to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating
in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past
one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much
she knows

Ground Control to Major Tim
Your circuit's dead,
there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tim?
Can you hear me, Major Tim?
Can you hear me, Major Tim?
Can you....

Here am I floating
round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do.

:p

By the way here is Miss Sharman's spacesuit in a museum with Union Flag...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/12...b1d710.jpg?v=0

http://www.made-in-sheffield.com/mul.../hsharman3.jpg

Not wanting to belittle Tim's great achievement, but he really isn't the first Briton by a long way :rolleyes:

Congratulations, good work - hope you get to go into orbit, or beyond.

I tried applying, but ESA weren't interested!

I believe that NASA was hoping for ESA involvement in Orion, first launch 2012 to Earth orbit, 2020 (?) to the Moon, so Maj Tim could be on that. As he's a TP at Augusta Westland shouldn't that be Maj (Retd)?

Sharman was technically a Cosmonaunt. Tim is the first British (without duel nationality) Astronaut. ;)

Jeez I never realised that we had 13 year old A2 QHIs.

Aww, bless. Jealous? :hmm:

Dummy by name, dummy by ?

"Cosmonaut" is the Russian term for the US use of "Astronaut" - by the way the French use "Spationaut" sometimes. If atop an Ariane would that make Tim a "Spationaut" rather than an "Astronaut"? Furthermore, the Chinese use the terms "yǔhángyuán" (宇航员, "sailing personnel in universe") or "hángtiānyuán" (航天员, "sailing personnel in sky").

From your logic the Russians use "Пилот" for Pilot...does that make a Russian Пилот not a pilot...:ugh:

I make Tim 5th in line to the title "first Brit in space". Better than me, although I have at times been called a spaceman a few times by others :}

You're a tit.

Oh, the home of witty banter...:D

Blue, Great, Coal or Crested?

The funniest thing you've come up with is the "Cosmonaunt" you mention - is that the female version of the Cosmonuncle??

Ah, the last bastion of banter on the ropes.....spelling Nazism. :hmm:

Zeeg Hyall! :ok:

I was afraid banter had been banned on Pprune but it appears we may have slipped under the Modestasi radar.... :ok:

Well that's one way of fighting to become an Astronaut.:ok:

Yep, fair cop. I'm obviously posting using a head-dobber tonight. :}

Will the Major be allowed to take his Batman with him like Colonel Dare did in the 1960's? :)

All this mugging banter is fine, but I noticed something...

The BBC article linked in the originating post never claimed (either in the headline or text) that Tim would be "The First Briton in Space", "The First British Astronaut", or any other such thing.

In fact, it includes this comment:
Thus, it is only ifu that made the mistake.

In fact, Tim Peake is the fourth British Army officer to be selected as an astronaut. As well as Maj Tim Mace (Helen Sharman's backup) there were two in the 1980s: Lt Col Tony Boyle and Maj Richard Farrimond.

Boyle was picked as one of the four MOD astronauts who would accompany the launch of Skynet 4A and 4B on the Shuttle (prime and backup for each mission). Unfortunately he had to stand down through being a witness in the long-running Cyprus spy ring investigation, and was replaced by Farrimond. Farrimond was assigned as backup to Sqn Ldr Nigel Wood for the Skynet 4A launch scheduled for mid-1986, but the Challenger disaster put paid to that plan and all the Skynet 4s ended up being launched on conventional rockets.

GK121....
The link I posted has since been updated by the BBC.
The original news item did indeed say that the name of Britains first astronaut will be released later...
From the page you've just seen..."Page last updated at 11:27 GMT, Wednesday, 20 May 2009 12:27 UK"
Time of my original post....11:03
Cheers :ok: