Tim Peake will find himself a very long way from home this Christmas – so far that he will be out of this world.
The former helicopter test pilot has been chosen to be Britain’s first European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut. He will be sent to space on 15 December and won’t return for five months.
“I’m really looking forward to this mission,” he says. “In the six years I’ve been with the space agency, I’ve invested so much training time and emotional energy. It’s a personal commitment.”
But getting the other-worldly job was no walk in the park (or space). Peake fought off stiff competition from more than 8,000 applicants for the privilege. So what advice does he have for other budding space explorers?
We will be speaking to the astronaut next week, and we want to hear ideas from you and your students about what we should ask him. The aim is to get kids excited about the solar system, find out more about what it takes to be an astronaut, and get the inside story on Peake’s mission.
You can ask anything – from how the space explorer plans to spend his Christmas day to how space toilets work. Send us your questions by posting in the comments section below or tweeting us via @GuardianTeach using #askanastronaut. Comments will close on 5 November.
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