Tim Peake made history when he launched into space in 2015, becoming the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station. But the 50-year-old admits his rise to the top came after several years of playing 'catch up'.
As a teenager, Peake didn’t leave school with top marks in his A-levels - and didn't complete his degree in flight dynamics until the age of 33. Today, the former Apache pilot wears many hats; he has worked with the European Space Agency since 2009, is a STEM ambassador at Prince’s Trust, an author and - more recently - has become the star of his very own one-man show about space.
“I do say that I’ve never studied harder than when I left school, my life has been one constant series of studying various subjects,” Peake told the Manchester Evening News . “When I speak to students I hope that my story can offer some consolation and some comfort in the fact that I left school with a C, D and an E as my A-level results…But it does show that - look, if things don’t go so well at A-levels, or you have had a challenging time, it doesn’t mean that you cannot catch up”.
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After a turbulent few years, students up and down the country received their A-level results this week. Education has been disrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic for the past 24 months, meaning this year was the first since 2019 that students sat actual exams for their qualifications.
Peake added: “You can always go back and achieve your dreams and work hard to get what you want and I think that’s a really important message. But we have to understand that Covid and lockdowns have had a really damaging impact on education for some people.”
This summer has been a busy one for Peake; he made his festival debut in July. His show, My Journey To Space, launched in October 2021 – and he’s back for a second date at the Bridgewater Hall in September, with another string of shows in March next year.
My Journey To Space gives an insight into life as an astronaut, complete with breath-taking photographs and never-before-seen footage. Peake took his performance to audiences at Bluedot Festival in Cheshire - a melting pot of music and science.
Peake described his first festival as a ‘fantastic experience,’ adding: “I’ve gone from speaking to schools… and corporations to the stage for the show - and now the festival, which is really a vibrant, lively environment where you can get a lot of audience interaction.”
He said his time at the festival was ‘made even more special’ with the ‘massive radio telescope’ in the background at Jodrell Bank. So, could showbiz be the future for this astronaut?
Asked whether he’d ever consider joining the Strictly Come Dancing line-up, Peake admitted: “I am a self-confessed dreadful dancer so I’m not sure - who knows! If I ever build up enough confidence to get myself on maybe I will, but I think I might risk being the one who goes out in the first week!"
While dancing may not be among his many impressive skills, Peake hopes his passion for all things cosmic is enough to inspire the next generation of budding scientists - and that young girls and women will continue to be encouraged to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
"I think [the industry] is definitely less-so [male dominated] today than it has been in the past. And that’s a great thing, and certainly in the astronaut pool, we’ve tried to open the doors and encourage as many female applicants as possible and that shows in this year’s selection process, we’ve got a much larger number of female applicants than we had previously."
But Peake reckons there is more the UK industry can do to encourage women. He explained: "There are a lot of female students who take strong STEM GCSE subjects and then that tends to drop away at A-levels.
"So we still need to focus on STEM-based subjects for A-levels and to go onto further education. And I think that’s the case of industry working together with the education sector to make it as relevant as possible to inform everybody what careers are out there and what kind of things we do."
Peake says the industry is brimming with amazing female role models, including scientist Dr Suzanne Imber - who he reckons is "a brilliant role model of what you can go on and achieve if you study STEM subjects." An associate Professor of planetary science at the University of Leicester, Imber specialises in space weather; understanding how explosions from the Sun travel through the solar system and impact the planets, in particular the Earth and Mercury.
She was also the winner of the 2017 BBC series Astronauts: Do You Have What it Takes? which saw twelve candidates get put through their paces with NASA astronaut Chris Hadfield. "We’ve got some brilliant female role models now as well who are able to say, look there are amazing careers to be had in the STEM sector," Peake said.
In October, Peake will be finishing his two-year sabbatical from the ESA - and he’ll be juggling plenty of projects going forward. “I’m still working closely with the ESA and the UK Space Agency and we’ve got a massive amount going on with the new Artemis missions going back to the moon.”
He also revealed that he’s working with ‘a couple of space companies’ to put satellites into polar orbit from UK soil. Peake is also writing three more books, as well as continuing his 44-date UK-tour, which will take him into 2023.
“I’ve got so many different things on the go and certainly space has been a huge part of my life and will continue to be so,” he said.
Tim Peake brings My Journey To Space to the Bridgewater Hall on Wednesday September 21. Tickets are on sale now from www.fane.co.uk/timpeake or direct from the venue.
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