vbid/9783319579078

Description

For centuries the British developed a�reputation as a�nation of�explorers. From Francis Drake�s circumnavigation of the globe�to the ascent of Everest, British explorers crossed oceans and�continents and ventured where few, if any, had gone before. Until�very recently, that legacy of exploration had not extended to space.�For decades, successive governments chose to stay out of the human�spaceflight programme, but in 2008 there were signs of optimism when�ESA selected a new class of six astronauts, including, for the first time, a�British representative: Timothy Peake.� This book puts the reader in the flight suit of Britain�s first male�astronaut. In addition to delving into the life of Tim Peake, this book�discusses the learning curves required in astronaut and mission training�and the complexity of the technologies required to launch an astronaut�and keep them alive for months on end. This book underscores the fact�that technology and training, unlike space, do not exist in a vacuum;�complex technical systems, like the ISS, interact with the variables of�human personality, and the cultural background of the astronauts. But�ultimately, this is the story of Tim Peake and the Principia mission and�the down-to-the-last-bolt descriptions of life aboard the ISS, by way of�the hurdles placed by the British government and the rigors of training�at Russia�s Star City military base.Typham this is the title: TIM PEAKE and BRITAIN’S ROAD TO SPACE