On the face of it, a family caravanning trip might not appear to provide the perfect conditions for space training,but Tim Peake, the first British person to join the International Space Station when he departed Earth in December 2015, insists the similarities are striking.
“If you can live together as a family of four in a caravan then you can live on the space station because it’s all about personal admin. It’s keeping on top of your kit, being minimalist and making sure everything is put back in the right place,” explains Tim, 48, who recounts the adventures he enjoyed with his parents, Angela and Nigel, a midwife and journalist, and older sister Fiona, in his new autobiography Limitless.
The family’s brown Citroen DS would be packed up – “the caravan hitched to the back” – and off they’d head from West Sussex to the south of France, or closer to home, the Lake District and Yorkshire. As long it involved some form of outdoor action, the young Tim was happy, and his parents were content for him to explore.
“I have to give my mum and dad credit, they weren’t potholers, kayakers, rock climbers or orienteers, but they were happy to encourage me in all of that reckless stuff,” he writes, noting it was a wonderfully “ordinary” childhood.
This story is from the November 2020 edition of Sussex Life.
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This story is from the November 2020 edition of Sussex Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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