0:00:15 > 0:00:18Tim Peake is about to fulfil a dream.
0:00:18 > 0:00:24I saw an internet article that said, "astronauts wanted", but I'd never
0:00:24 > 0:00:30appreciated that, as a UK citizen, you could become an astronaut.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36He is the first Briton to join the European Astronaut Corps.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Finding out that I'd been selected was a real mixture of emotions.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46I was ecstatic, obviously, the overriding emotion was excitement.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52Becoming an astronaut takes six years of the most demanding
0:00:52 > 0:00:54and rigorous training.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56You do have to work hard.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I come from a technical background, I love systems,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I love aircraft, and those aspects of my training - the EVA training,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06robotics, the Soyuz - I've lapped it up and enjoyed it.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12For the past 18 months, Tim has kept a video diary,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14revealing the risks and pressures he faces.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I've just had my first run in the centrifuge.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19I found it really hard to breathe.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It's like having an elephant sitting on your chest.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Horizon has been allowed behind the scenes to follow Tim's training
0:01:28 > 0:01:32and his family as he prepares to say goodbye.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45The closer you get to space flight, the more optimistic you get.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48The desire to fly increases so when people ask me,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51"Are you nervous about flying to space?",
0:01:51 > 0:01:54that's why I genuinely answer all the time, "Absolutely not.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58"The thing I'm most nervous about is NOT flying to space."
0:02:02 > 0:02:04In two days' time,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Tim Peake will climb on board the International Space Station.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10I get around by bike in Star City. It's the easiest way.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Everything is fairly close so whether it's going to the shops,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18whether it's going to the training hall,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20it's only a five-minute bike ride away.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27As I get closer to flight, I'm being a lot more careful on my bike!
0:03:28 > 0:03:32You know, you become so aware of how careful you have to be.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35You don't want anything to go wrong. You want to make that launch date.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41We're training in the same buildings
0:03:41 > 0:03:44that were used back in the '60s and, for the Russians,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47there's an enormous amount of national pride
0:03:47 > 0:03:51surrounding their space programme and I really enjoyed
0:03:51 > 0:03:54being immersed in this tradition of space exploration.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Tim's astronaut training
0:04:04 > 0:04:09has meant spending over nine months in Russia because, since 2011,
0:04:09 > 0:04:14only the Russian Soyuz can take crews to the International Space Station.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24And, as all the controls inside the spacecraft are in Russian,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27every astronaut has to learn the language.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33HE READS IN RUSSIAN
0:04:33 > 0:04:37- This is not good cos these words are all new, this lesson.- Yes.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38They're new words.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40I just had the most awful Russian lesson,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43I felt like walking out halfway through,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47and what's worse is that the further down the training we go,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51then the more technical the Russian language becomes.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52'Learning Russian has been
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'the single most difficult aspect of my training.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58'I love systems, I love diagrams.'
0:04:58 > 0:05:00I'm not a natural linguist
0:05:00 > 0:05:02and Russian, for me, has been particularly hard.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12The Sokol spacesuit is actually really comfortable,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14surprisingly comfortable.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17It's quite a nice, soft spacesuit.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19It's more comfortable when sitting down.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Of course, it's designed for the seated position
0:05:21 > 0:05:23so when you're standing up,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25that's why everyone looks hunched over
0:05:25 > 0:05:28cos it's kind of very tight when you're stood up.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31During Soyuz flight training, Tim and the crew's response
0:05:31 > 0:05:36to emergencies has been constantly tested.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39So we're going to do a six-hour simulation today,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42which pretty much takes us through all of the phases of flight.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45It takes about six hours from launch to get to the space station
0:05:45 > 0:05:47and then we'll prepare for a descent
0:05:47 > 0:05:49and we'll go through the whole descent profile.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53I suspect there'll be an emergency during the descent.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58Each member of the Soyuz crew has a role to play, and to work as a team
0:05:58 > 0:06:02they've simulated launch, docking and descent time and time again.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06My crewmates - Tim Kopra from NASA
0:06:06 > 0:06:09and Yuri Malenchenko from Roscosmos -
0:06:09 > 0:06:12both experienced flown astronauts.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Tim Kopra has spent a couple of months on the space station already
0:06:16 > 0:06:18and he also completed one spacewalk.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Yuri Malenchenko had five previous flights.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25He's flown both the shuttle and the Soyuz
0:06:25 > 0:06:26and has completed five spacewalks as well.
0:06:26 > 0:06:32He's a man of few words, but when he talks, you need to listen.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34HE SPEAKS IN RUSSIAN
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Before ignition, the Soyuz spacecraft with its crew
0:06:55 > 0:07:01sits on 300 tonnes of kerosene and liquid oxygen.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Launch is a precisely engineered explosion.
0:07:33 > 0:07:34..the engines are all nominal.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37You see Yuri Malenchenko there on the left.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41That toy that is hanging there was given to him by his daughter.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Received. We confirm a successful separation.
0:08:11 > 0:08:17Six hours after launch, both the Soyuz and the space station
0:08:17 > 0:08:22will be travelling at 27,500kmph, 350km above the Earth.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30They will then dock with millimetre precision.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN IN RUSSIAN
0:08:35 > 0:08:39In the Soyuz spacecraft, we rely on each other a large amount,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42especially if something goes wrong.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Then you're completely reliant on each other to do your work
0:08:45 > 0:08:49accurately, calmly and correctly.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55The Soyuz is considered the world's safest for manned space flight,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59but emergencies can - and do - occur.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04One of the things that can happen to the Soyuz spacecraft
0:09:04 > 0:09:08when it descends is that it will fall at a steeper angle
0:09:08 > 0:09:10and that's called a ballistic re-entry.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Very serious situation.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19In 2008, Yuri Malenchenko survived a ballistic re-entry
0:09:19 > 0:09:24and missed his landing site by 475km.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48The reason why I did the centrifuge run today was to get me
0:09:48 > 0:09:51used to the kind of Gs that I'm going to be exposed to.
0:09:57 > 0:10:008Gs is exposing you to the re-entry
0:10:00 > 0:10:03and that's only really if the re-entry goes wrong.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08You might get up to 8 or 9 Gs for 30 to 40 seconds.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Just try to breathe.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12It's like having an elephant sitting on your chest,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15so you can't possibly breathe through your chest,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18you have to breathe through your abdomen and almost gulping for air,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20just to try and take short breaths
0:10:20 > 0:10:22and just to keep that oxygen flow going.
0:10:23 > 0:10:31During descent, the module will slow from 27,500kmph to 27kmph.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36But the impact of landing is still a potential danger for the crew.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38I had my Soyuz seats tailor-made for me.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41The reason why the seat has to fit so well
0:10:41 > 0:10:44is really for the re-entry and the landing.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48You lie in this bath of gypsum for about 15 minutes
0:10:48 > 0:10:51until the gypsum solidifies.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Professionals will then sand out your body shape.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58It's critical that it fits you perfectly.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02The Soyuz landing has been described to me by fellow astronauts
0:11:02 > 0:11:05as like sitting in a small car and being hit by a big truck.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08We'll get our hands, our arms and our shoulders
0:11:08 > 0:11:11tucked in as snugly into this seat as possible
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and we're also advised not to have our tongue between our teeth
0:11:14 > 0:11:16for obvious reasons.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29There's no point in thinking that it's just a simulation.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32You've got to have the mind-set of what we're doing is very real
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and if there's an emergency situation,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37then you run with it as if this is what can happen.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01The umbilicals have been retracted...
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Each year, at least five supply rockets are launched
0:12:04 > 0:12:08to the space station, carrying food, water and fuel.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13Liftoff. Liftoff of the ISS Progress 59 cargo ship
0:12:13 > 0:12:16on a fast-track journey to the International Space Station.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Earlier this year,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32a Russian Progress rocket failed to reach the space station.
0:12:34 > 0:12:40The television camera was activated and showed a rather significant
0:12:40 > 0:12:42spinning, rotational spinning motion...
0:12:42 > 0:12:48Just over a week later, it fell back to Earth, burning up on re-entry.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53At the moment, it's a little bit difficult
0:12:53 > 0:12:54to know what's going to happen,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57because something went wrong with the rocket.
0:12:57 > 0:12:58Now, that's the same rocket
0:12:58 > 0:13:01or it's very, very similar to the rocket
0:13:01 > 0:13:03that the manned vehicle launches in
0:13:03 > 0:13:06so clearly we're not going to go ahead with a manned launch
0:13:06 > 0:13:10if there is potentially something wrong with that rocket
0:13:10 > 0:13:12so, at the moment, we're kind of waiting
0:13:12 > 0:13:15to find out whether there'll be a delay to the next launch,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17which I'm the backup crew for.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Whilst the rocket malfunction was investigated,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47all Soyuz launches were suspended so Tim left Moscow
0:13:47 > 0:13:51and flew to Houston, Texas, where he trained with NASA.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55So, at the moment, we've just left my house
0:13:55 > 0:13:58and we're on the way to Johnson Space Center.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01It's about a 20-minute drive away and, as you can see,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04we're in a torrential downpour this afternoon.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06A typical sort of summer's day in Houston,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10where we have these big thunderstorms - fairly impressive.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13THUNDER RUMBLES
0:14:13 > 0:14:17We have to train in all different areas around the world -
0:14:17 > 0:14:22Europe in Cologne, also in Russia and Japan and Canada as well -
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and when I looked at my schedule
0:14:24 > 0:14:27and I worked out how much time I'd be in each location,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30about 60% of my time was going to be here in Houston
0:14:30 > 0:14:33so, as a family man, it made sense to move the family here
0:14:33 > 0:14:35and come and live here.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Right, guys, sit up. Look, let's have a look at this.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Now, who's that?
0:14:42 > 0:14:43- Daddy.- Yeah.
0:14:43 > 0:14:49Tim's a great dad and that's one of his massive plus points.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53- Is that you?- Yes.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59'Thomas, our oldest boy, does get now what Daddy's going to be doing.'
0:14:59 > 0:15:02That's in Russia. When I go to Russia on work, yeah...
0:15:04 > 0:15:07'He's starting to understand a lot more about space
0:15:07 > 0:15:11'and clearly has quite a good grasp of what I'm about to do.'
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Oliver, at four years old, we read stories and we talk about it,
0:15:14 > 0:15:19but he's still in that kind of imaginative phase of his life.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22'We have done things that help him understand better
0:15:22 > 0:15:25'what Dad's life is going to be like for six months -
0:15:25 > 0:15:27'we've taken him to the simulator
0:15:27 > 0:15:31'so he can see how the ISS is laid out, where Daddy will sleep'
0:15:31 > 0:15:33and where he'll eat, where he'll go to the loo,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36which is by far the most interesting part of it all!
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Where am I here?
0:15:37 > 0:15:41- In Russia.- Yes, well done! That's the Soyuz spacecraft.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42That's me strapping in.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45We've always played it down, really, especially here.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49It's not that big a deal, there's a lot of astronaut dads
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and mums out there so we didn't want them to feel different
0:15:52 > 0:15:55or unusual because of what their dad happens to be doing just now.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- You were there yesterday. - Is that almost finished?
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Is it almost finished?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16INAUDIBLE
0:16:16 > 0:16:18'My name is Tim Kopra.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22'I work as an astronaut at NASA, the Johnson Space Center.'
0:16:22 > 0:16:25I flew to space station in 2009.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27I went up on Space Shuttle Endeavour
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and came home on Space Shuttle Discovery,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32spent two months on board
0:16:32 > 0:16:36and currently Tim Peake and I are crew members together.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49In my opinion, the International Space Station
0:16:49 > 0:16:53is the greatest engineering achievement of mankind.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58It was built over decades, really, if you go back to the design phase,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01and every component up there was brought up
0:17:01 > 0:17:03either in the payload bay of the space shuttle
0:17:03 > 0:17:05or was launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket
0:17:05 > 0:17:08and then all that was assembled with robotic arms
0:17:08 > 0:17:12and astronauts outside doing spacewalks.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16A phenomenal effort and a phenomenal engineering feat.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26I would describe the size of the space station as looking down
0:17:26 > 0:17:29on an American football field and that's essentially how big it is.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Its primary function is an orbiting laboratory and, inside,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37you can picture a three- or four-bedroom home.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41It keeps our air clean, it processes our water -
0:17:41 > 0:17:44in fact, we recycle most of the water on board -
0:17:44 > 0:17:45and, as a consequence,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49we're able to live in this environment and do science.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56The Johnson Space Center has an exact replica of the space station.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01It's used for learning how it functions, for maintenance training
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and emergency evacuation drill.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06ALARM BEEPS
0:18:08 > 0:18:11We have... It looks like a fire in node one.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14We manually activated the alarm.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16'This training is very important
0:18:16 > 0:18:19'because space is a very harsh, unforgiving environment.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22'Something like a fire or a rapid depress or a toxic release,'
0:18:22 > 0:18:25those are situations where the response
0:18:25 > 0:18:29that the crew has to do is very time critical.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34Yuri, we need one last cabin CSA-CP reading.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36If the fire becomes uncontrollable
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and the atmosphere becomes very contaminated,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41then in the worst case, of course,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43we would have to evacuate the space station.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46'You have to perform these steps quickly and accurately by memory.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50'You cannot afford to be looking in the emergency procedures.'
0:18:51 > 0:18:54In 1997, an intense fire
0:18:54 > 0:18:58rapidly filled the Mir space station with dense smoke -
0:18:58 > 0:19:02a potentially fatal threat to the six cosmonauts on board.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Fire is a special problem in zero gravity.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10It's a completely enclosed environment
0:19:10 > 0:19:12so there's nowhere for the smoke to go.
0:19:12 > 0:19:13Things burn differently,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17it tends to burn in more of a ball rather than a peak flame.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Potential sources would be electrical - in racks
0:19:20 > 0:19:22and behind panels where the crew can't see it.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25We also have oxygen stored up there in tanks.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Things like the spacesuits have oxygen tanks in them.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30If you had a fire near one of these oxygen sources,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32that could lead to an explosion
0:19:32 > 0:19:34and that may be a situation where you would have to evacuate.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- WHIRRING - That sounds good.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Get a final reading and isolate that.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40You guys want to close the forward lab hatch?
0:19:44 > 0:19:46'Tim did great. He's very good at what he does.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51'He's an excellent astronaut. Tim and his whole crew did very well.'
0:19:52 > 0:19:54- We'll see you down there.- Right.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28By early July, Soyuz rockets were assessed as flightworthy
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and a schedule for manned flights resumed.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38It's Friday the 10th of July and, finally, today,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42we're off down to Kazakhstan for the launch, where I'm backup crew.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44It's about six weeks later than it should have been
0:20:44 > 0:20:48because of the Progress mishap, which has delayed everything,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51but the rocket has been deemed safe, which is great news, obviously,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55so to actually go down to Kazakhstan to see the launch site itself,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59this will be my first launch that I'll be watching.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It's incredibly exciting, I can't wait.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37In a remote corner of Kazakhstan, the Baikonur Cosmodrome
0:21:37 > 0:21:42has been the launch site for Soviet and Russian rockets since 1957.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48When we arrived, I took a walk around and I ended up here
0:21:48 > 0:21:51and the sun was setting and I suddenly realised that,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55behind me, is the tree that Yuri Gagarin planted in 1961
0:21:55 > 0:22:00prior to the first flight ever taken by a human being into space
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and it was a very humbling moment.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07And then as I walked further down the Cosmonaut Grove,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11all the cosmonauts and astronauts that have flown before me, it really
0:22:11 > 0:22:15brought to me what it is that I'm going to be doing up there in space.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06As launch day approached, both backup and prime crews
0:24:06 > 0:24:10were kept isolated from any chance of illness or infection.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18At the moment, I'm in quarantine, which is why I'm behind glass.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21I've been in quarantine for nearly two weeks now
0:24:21 > 0:24:24along with the prime crew and they launch in two days' time
0:24:24 > 0:24:28to the International Space Station.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30It's a great opportunity as backup crew
0:24:30 > 0:24:33because you take part in this six months before your own launch
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and, for us, it's like a dress rehearsal.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39I'm constantly putting myself in their shoes and thinking,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42"What's it going to be like in six months' time?"
0:24:42 > 0:24:46HE SPEAKS IN RUSSIAN
0:24:57 > 0:24:58European astronauts are allowed
0:24:58 > 0:25:01to bring partners to their backup launch.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05This allows them to plan for the day of their own launch.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09I've been fortunate enough to come out
0:25:09 > 0:25:15as spouse of a backup crew member so we get to see it
0:25:15 > 0:25:19and experience everything that goes on around it.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23I rely on Rebecca hugely.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27She's an immense base of support not just for our children,
0:25:27 > 0:25:32but also she provides a lot of support for me as well.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34There are some things as you go through the training
0:25:34 > 0:25:37that you can discuss easily with your colleagues and your crewmates.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41There are other things where really the only person you can turn to
0:25:41 > 0:25:45is your soul mate and your wife to be able to discuss things
0:25:45 > 0:25:46and for her to help me through.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50I always figured that I married a man
0:25:50 > 0:25:55who loved doing exciting things, that had an element of danger.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59You know, his job was flying helicopters as hard
0:25:59 > 0:26:02and as fast as they could go to test them out.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08That's what makes Tim who he is and so much fun to be with
0:26:08 > 0:26:10so I'm very accepting of that.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Finding out that I'd been selected as an astronaut
0:26:14 > 0:26:17was a real mixture of emotions. I mean, I was ecstatic, obviously.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20The overriding emotion was excitement,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24but we had a serious discussion before I went for the medical
0:26:24 > 0:26:28and said, "Listen, are we happy as a family to go down this route?"
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Helicopter test flying on a day-to-day basis
0:26:31 > 0:26:36is probably more dangerous than his training,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40but, yeah, going up in a rocket into orbit definitely takes it
0:26:40 > 0:26:43to a new level and I think I would have to be
0:26:43 > 0:26:45fairly numb to the experience
0:26:45 > 0:26:49if I didn't have some emotions attached to that,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52but that's fine, you know, we'll be all right with that.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Behind me is the rocket that Kjell, Kimiya and Oleg
0:27:06 > 0:27:09will launch into space in three days' time
0:27:09 > 0:27:10and it's incredible to think that,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12just three days ago, I saw this rocket,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15it was in three different parts in two different hangars
0:27:15 > 0:27:17so literally over the weekend they've bolted it together
0:27:17 > 0:27:19and now it's being rolled out
0:27:19 > 0:27:24to the same launchpad that Yuri Gagarin launched from in 1961.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11That was the first time I'd been close to a Soyuz rocket
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and to see it in the flesh was incredible.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Everyone said, "It's shorter than you expect,"
0:28:16 > 0:28:20but I think I was ready for that so actually I thought it was
0:28:20 > 0:28:24bigger than I expected, I thought it's actually quite a large rocket.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32And then to go down into the fire pit and kind of be underneath it
0:28:32 > 0:28:35as it lifted it up into position,
0:28:35 > 0:28:41that was incredible, just to see the first-stage rocket engines
0:28:41 > 0:28:43and being able to look up
0:28:43 > 0:28:47and see the whole height of the Soyuz rocket above you - incredible.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05It's Wednesday the 22nd of July and it's about half past six.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07I've just woken up from a short nap.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09The reason I'm having a nap today is
0:29:09 > 0:29:13because we're about L minus nine away from the backup launch
0:29:13 > 0:29:16so I'm mirroring what the prime crew are doing
0:29:16 > 0:29:18and I'll be sharing the last dinner with them
0:29:18 > 0:29:22here in the quarantine quarters and then we'll all be on buses.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Prime crew on one bus, backup crew on the other.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28So this whole proceeding, from now until launch,
0:29:28 > 0:29:30is a really well-oiled machine.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32The timings are very particular, everything's set out.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Everything starts on time, everything stops on time.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12We followed them out of the bus and then we've seen them off
0:30:12 > 0:30:15to the rocket, literally to the bottom of the rocket.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19The rocket is incredible.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21It's filled with all the cryogenic fuel
0:30:21 > 0:30:24so there's frosting all over the first stage
0:30:24 > 0:30:29and the second stage of the rocket itself, and that cryogenic fuel
0:30:29 > 0:30:33is boiling off, it's making noises and it's really a living beast.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46We're about 1.2km away from the launchpad
0:30:46 > 0:30:49and it's 25 past one in the morning
0:30:49 > 0:30:52and we're waiting for 3.02 in the morning, when we'll see
0:30:52 > 0:30:56the rocket behind me launch with Kjell, Kimiya and Oleg on board.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00INSTRUCTIONS IN RUSSIAN
0:31:49 > 0:31:52I'm back in the crew quarters. It's about five o'clock in the morning.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57It's been a long night, but an incredible experience.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01It's quite surreal to think that, in less than five months,
0:32:01 > 0:32:04myself and my crewmates, Tim and Yuri,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07will be in their position and will be doing exactly the same thing.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11If anything, tonight has just really increased the level
0:32:11 > 0:32:16of excitement and anticipation for the journey I'm about to take.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19INDISTINCT RADIO MESSAGES
0:33:07 > 0:33:08Over the last six years,
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Tim has been a regular visitor to the European Astronaut Centre.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17Here, he trained to do science on board the space station
0:33:17 > 0:33:20and learn about the effects of space on the human body.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I'm now back in Cologne.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27Yeah, I don't normally wear this kind of thing for fun.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Currently, I've got one of those temperature probes
0:33:29 > 0:33:31stuck to my chest, one to my forehead
0:33:31 > 0:33:35and all the data for 48 hours is being recorded on this monitor here.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Tim's physiology is constantly monitored
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and assessed to find out the effects of long-duration space flight.
0:33:44 > 0:33:49At the moment, I'm being fitted up for ECG instrumentation
0:33:49 > 0:33:53and I'm about to get on the bike machine to do a VO2 max test.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57It's our birthday present from the Space Agency, is that you always do
0:33:57 > 0:34:01all of these tests and examinations in your birth month.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05The VO2 max test pushes the body's aerobic
0:34:05 > 0:34:08and cardiovascular systems as hard as possible.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12This test is done before and after Tim's mission.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16We have a warm-up of three minutes and then every minute,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19it's getting harder.
0:34:20 > 0:34:26The measure is an EKG reading, the heartrate and CO2 exhalation
0:34:26 > 0:34:30and O2 that comes in your body.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37Please just give with your thumb, OK, or not.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Don't talk, please, because it disturbs the measurement.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46..funf, vier, drei, zwo, eins.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49In terms of human physiology alone,
0:34:49 > 0:34:53I've signed up for 23 experiments on my body
0:34:53 > 0:34:57and so we're using the space station as a great environment
0:34:57 > 0:35:00to learn more about how the body changes in microgravity
0:35:00 > 0:35:03during long-duration space flight.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Everything fine with your legs? OK.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09OK.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15..funf, vier, drei, zwo, eins. Und die nachste Stufe.
0:35:15 > 0:35:21- 300.- Wow, good one!- Very, very good.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23Keep speed. More speed is needed.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Yes.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32Keep on, keep on.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36Finish and recovery. Great job!
0:35:37 > 0:35:39He's perfect.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Perfect EKG reading and a fast heartrate recovery,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46all this indicates that he's in very good shape.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Enjoyed that?
0:35:48 > 0:35:50LAUGHTER
0:35:50 > 0:35:52It was a wonderful way to start the morning.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Tim's physiology is studied closely
0:36:09 > 0:36:13because space flight has an enormous impact on an astronaut's health.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21I'm Samantha Cristoforetti, I'm a European Space Agency astronaut
0:36:21 > 0:36:23of Italian nationality and I'm also a pilot
0:36:23 > 0:36:27and officer in the Italian air force and I recently returned
0:36:27 > 0:36:31from a 200-day expedition on the International Space Station.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40The best thing about life on board, I would say that
0:36:40 > 0:36:44weightlessness is just the most amazing sensation you can think of,
0:36:44 > 0:36:49the sense of freedom, of owning your body
0:36:49 > 0:36:52and owning space in the three dimensions.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Although it may be the highlight of an astronaut's time
0:36:59 > 0:37:03on the space station, weightlessness is a major medical problem.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Here on Earth, during the entire human evolutionary period,
0:37:11 > 0:37:13we've had 1G.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16Take it up into space, of course, and everything changes.
0:37:18 > 0:37:19Our muscles and our bones
0:37:19 > 0:37:22are not getting the same stimulus that they would do
0:37:22 > 0:37:25if we were just walking around all day here on Earth
0:37:25 > 0:37:28so we start to lose calcium, bone density decreases
0:37:28 > 0:37:30and our muscle mass reduces
0:37:30 > 0:37:33because our muscle fibres are not being stimulated.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38Now, to try and stop that happening too much, we exercise.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43We have amazing facilities now on the space station
0:37:43 > 0:37:45in terms of physical fitness.
0:37:45 > 0:37:46We have a machine just called ARED -
0:37:46 > 0:37:49the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device,
0:37:49 > 0:37:51which is a wonderful machine.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54It basically allows you to do weightlifting
0:37:54 > 0:37:56with pretty big weights.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59It's based on vacuum cylinders and you can set the resistance
0:37:59 > 0:38:02and you can do stuff like squats, deadlifts,
0:38:02 > 0:38:07push-ups and all kinds of resistive exercise.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Also the heart has a very easy time and it shrinks,
0:38:11 > 0:38:15as any muscle would shrink if it's not exercised fully,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17so we try and do cardiovascular exercise
0:38:17 > 0:38:20to try and prevent that from happening.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25We have a treadmill which is called T2 that works with a harness
0:38:25 > 0:38:30that keeps you pushed down on the treadmill so you can actually run.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34I enjoyed it because it was a break from actual work
0:38:34 > 0:38:39so at least I knew that at least two hours during the day,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42I will be able to take a break, and the biomedical engineers
0:38:42 > 0:38:46and the flight surgeons really push for us to have those two hours.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53The main purpose of my mission, the main purpose of being in space,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56is to conduct and run scientific experiments.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59That doesn't mean that I need to be
0:38:59 > 0:39:01an expert on every science experiment.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03Clearly, with all the training that we have to do,
0:39:03 > 0:39:07we couldn't possibly also be an expert on all the science.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12We do have to know how to run them and to work with the ground teams
0:39:12 > 0:39:16to make sure the experiments are conducted accurately and correctly.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Here is your breakfast.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22- This is your space food. - Swordfish for breakfast, lovely!
0:39:22 > 0:39:25We know exactly the energy content of those.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28We're using the space station as a great environment to learn
0:39:28 > 0:39:31more about the amount of energy the body uses
0:39:31 > 0:39:34to a very accurate level so that we can calculate
0:39:34 > 0:39:36how much food an astronaut will need
0:39:36 > 0:39:39when you go to a long-duration mission to Mars.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41You have to provide a urine sample.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Being a human guinea pig,
0:39:43 > 0:39:47if you like, felt quite strange at first, but you rapidly get used
0:39:47 > 0:39:51to the fact that you've handed your body over to science, really...
0:39:52 > 0:39:56..be it taking blood, urine, faeces, saliva - all these things.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01It's a very privileged position to be in, to go to space,
0:40:01 > 0:40:05so I certainly don't mind using my body as a human guinea pig.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09It's just another aspect of being an astronaut.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12Thank you.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15Yeah, so that's going to become a regular feature
0:40:15 > 0:40:18of life aboard the space station.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Six, five, four, three, two...
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Following the failed supply rocket in April,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28the next was planned for late June, launching from Cape Canaveral.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Altitude - 32km, speed - 1kmps.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Vehicle on course, on track.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58And we appear to have had a launch vehicle failure.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Since 2000, there have only been four
0:41:05 > 0:41:08supply rocket failures to the space station.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Two of those have occurred this year.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Today was a difficult day for the space programme.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19This morning, I was watching the SpaceX 7 launch
0:41:19 > 0:41:23and I've been following the progress of SpaceX 7 quite closely
0:41:23 > 0:41:26because it's got some hardware on board that will be used
0:41:26 > 0:41:30during my mission, and it was very sad and disappointing
0:41:30 > 0:41:31to see the rocket explode
0:41:31 > 0:41:34after about two and a half minutes of flight.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37I know how disappointed the team will be, not just at SpaceX,
0:41:37 > 0:41:40but also everybody who has been working hard
0:41:40 > 0:41:42in preparing those payloads.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44There was an international docking adapter
0:41:44 > 0:41:47and there was also a spacesuit.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50In fact, it was a size medium spacesuit, which, if I get the opportunity
0:41:50 > 0:41:53to do a spacewalk, that would have been the spacesuit I'd be wearing.
0:41:53 > 0:41:58It just goes to show that getting to space is really difficult.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Every piece of equipment sent to the space station
0:42:24 > 0:42:28is rigorously tested to qualify as space hardware.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32One of the most complex pieces is the EMU.
0:42:34 > 0:42:40EMU stands for Extravehicular Manoeuvrability Unit, ie a spacesuit.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Now, this has to keep you alive outside the space station.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50It has to protect you against the risk of micrometeorites
0:42:50 > 0:42:52impacting you at huge velocity.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55It has to protect you from the extreme thermal environment,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58going from shadow to sunlight.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02And also it has to provide a life support system
0:43:02 > 0:43:05so it has to scrub all the CO2 that you're breathing.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08It has to provide you oxygen, it has to pressurise the suit
0:43:08 > 0:43:10and also water for you to drink.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14The vacuum chamber is one of the training elements
0:43:14 > 0:43:17we have to do spacewalks.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21The value of this is that it is the first time
0:43:21 > 0:43:24you're actually in a vacuum in a spacesuit.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28It gives you the experience of having been in a vacuum
0:43:28 > 0:43:30and also gives you the confidence in the suit
0:43:30 > 0:43:35that, when you go into space, it is going to protect you 100%.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39So, what we've got here are a class one set
0:43:39 > 0:43:43of EVA gloves for space flight.
0:43:43 > 0:43:48And, if I just peel back this material here,
0:43:48 > 0:43:51you can notice there's an electrical connector.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54The reason there's an electrical connector is because the fingertips
0:43:54 > 0:43:58actually have heaters in them and, as you go from sun to shade,
0:43:58 > 0:44:00it gets very cold
0:44:00 > 0:44:03and, if we're going into shade, we can turn our glove heaters on.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06The Russians have three sizes - small, medium and large -
0:44:06 > 0:44:09and the US have about 45 sizes.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11These gloves are really tailored to your hand
0:44:11 > 0:44:15and it's very important because we need to do tasks
0:44:15 > 0:44:17which require a lot of fidelity,
0:44:17 > 0:44:19sometimes using small tools and clips,
0:44:19 > 0:44:23and if you don't have a good fit, it's impossible.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25I find it really exciting, yeah,
0:44:25 > 0:44:28handling all this stuff - the helmet and the spacesuit.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31It kind of gives you a real buzz of excitement,
0:44:31 > 0:44:33knowing this is space hardware.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41The most interesting aspects of us working on board the station
0:44:41 > 0:44:44and actually training for space flight is the fact
0:44:44 > 0:44:47that it is truly a team sport.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49When we do spacewalks,
0:44:49 > 0:44:51you are definitely relying on your buddy outside.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04Open the thermal cover and egress.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07OK, the thermal cover is open and egressing.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11So, my first memory of opening the hatch
0:45:11 > 0:45:15and looking down at the planet that's moving five miles a second
0:45:15 > 0:45:18was, "Holy mackerel! This doesn't exactly feel right."
0:45:20 > 0:45:22Dave Wolf, my EVA partner, said,
0:45:22 > 0:45:24"Hey, Tim, take a second and look out to your left."
0:45:24 > 0:45:27That's a great idea.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29'And so I'm hanging on and looking out at the planet,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31'but it's a lot to take in.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34'It's a lot for your mind to process - that you're outside,
0:45:34 > 0:45:38'in a vacuum, looking down at our planet in the black of space.'
0:45:39 > 0:45:41It gives you pause.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46Looking good, there, Tim.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48Just take your time getting in position.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50I'm in a good position now.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14Johnson Space Center is an incredible place to work -
0:46:14 > 0:46:17a lot of history, a lot of nostalgia -
0:46:17 > 0:46:21but the office I'm working in now is the same office the astronauts
0:46:21 > 0:46:24were working in during the Apollo era.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30Everything is bigger in Texas
0:46:30 > 0:46:34and so you obviously get used to the freeway, the trucks, the lifestyle,
0:46:34 > 0:46:36but I do miss the UK.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39The one sad part of my training
0:46:39 > 0:46:41is that there is no training in the UK,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44so, for the whole two and a half years of my assigned flow,
0:46:44 > 0:46:49up until launch, I've kind of had to beg, borrow and steal time
0:46:49 > 0:46:53from my schedule to get back to the UK to visit friends and family
0:46:53 > 0:46:56so I've managed it for a few vacations, so I do miss it.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11With launch less than three months away, Tim rehearses spacewalks
0:47:11 > 0:47:15he could make during his time on board the space station.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22So, at the moment, it's 6.30 in the morning
0:47:22 > 0:47:26and this morning is the last run that I have in the pool.
0:47:26 > 0:47:31It takes about an hour to get ready.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34This is going to get attached to my spacesuit
0:47:34 > 0:47:36so I want to make sure that I've got all of my tools,
0:47:36 > 0:47:39all of my equipment is exactly as I want it
0:47:39 > 0:47:40for the six-hour run today.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44We're starting off working together on cable laying and, in fact,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47four hours of my day today is cable laying, which is
0:47:47 > 0:47:50probably one of the hardest things you can do in the spacesuit.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54It's really finger intense and so I'll be tired by the end of today.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57It's going to be a good run today, a good workout.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11So, what does it feel like to put on that suit?
0:48:11 > 0:48:15Well, firstly, the suit is pretty difficult to get into.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18It's like a small caving expedition just to get into it
0:48:18 > 0:48:20and it's a very tight fit.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Although it looks very big and bulky, actually inside the suit
0:48:23 > 0:48:25you're quite crammed in there, which is a good thing.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27You don't want to have too much room to move around,
0:48:27 > 0:48:32so I like to have the suit pressing hard against my shoulders here.
0:48:32 > 0:48:33It keeps me in one spot.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46It was great. I love my suit fit. It takes a long time to get it right.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22There are probably three activities that are really high risk
0:49:22 > 0:49:25for space flight - it's the launch, the re-entry and spacewalking.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29It's one of the few times where, as an astronaut,
0:49:29 > 0:49:33you are completely responsible for your own safety.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36So, you really are out there on a limb.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38You need to be able to take care of yourself
0:49:38 > 0:49:41and understand exactly what's going on.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43INDISTINCT
0:49:44 > 0:49:48The hand rail right by the connector panel?
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Can you reach the hand rail on the top there,
0:49:50 > 0:49:54between the trunnion pin and that bracket?
0:49:54 > 0:49:57- Cut across between the two?- Correct.
0:49:57 > 0:50:02'It's really just two white suits out in the vastness of space.'
0:50:02 > 0:50:04INDISTINCT
0:50:04 > 0:50:08Most people you talk to who have actually done a spacewalk
0:50:08 > 0:50:13find it to be as mentally exhausting as it is physically exhausting
0:50:13 > 0:50:14because you're in space,
0:50:14 > 0:50:17you're having to think 1,000 times faster
0:50:17 > 0:50:19in terms of where your hands are going
0:50:19 > 0:50:21and the environment around you.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25Now 15 years old,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28the International Space Station needs regular maintenance,
0:50:28 > 0:50:34and for external repairs the only way to reach them is on a spacewalk.
0:50:34 > 0:50:39Has anybody reached it between these hand rails?
0:50:39 > 0:50:43I actually approach the MBL run as if I was doing a flying sortie.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46You think about a sortie, you choreograph it,
0:50:46 > 0:50:49you fly it the night before you actually fly the sortie,
0:50:49 > 0:50:50and it's the same in the MBL.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54I spend many hours before going through exactly what I'll be doing
0:50:54 > 0:50:55at what stage to the detail
0:50:55 > 0:50:58of where I'm going to be putting my hands on each handhold,
0:50:58 > 0:51:00which handholds might be a difficult reach.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02How's it going, Tim?
0:51:02 > 0:51:06- It's going good, thanks, Tim. How you doing?- Wonderful.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09'These guys are really motoring through there.
0:51:09 > 0:51:14'It's a pretty hand-intensive task - laying cables, putting down lights.
0:51:14 > 0:51:15'You're in that suit,
0:51:15 > 0:51:17'you're against pressure with every motion you make,'
0:51:17 > 0:51:20you're constantly contracting your muscles
0:51:20 > 0:51:24so they're probably tired of gripping things at the moment!
0:51:24 > 0:51:28Yeah, I'm going to have to go back and untie that cable.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33You have a go to release the waist tether from yourself.
0:51:35 > 0:51:36It's really one of those tasks
0:51:36 > 0:51:39where you can't afford to have a slip in concentration.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44If you just forget once to put down your local tether,
0:51:44 > 0:51:47which is what keeps you attached to the space station,
0:51:47 > 0:51:51and then suddenly turn around, start working on a tool bag
0:51:51 > 0:51:54or working on a piece of equipment, let go of the hand rails
0:51:54 > 0:51:56and then, before you know it,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59you're floating off space station, and that's a really bad day.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08Houston, EV2 is off-structure at the airlock and drifting.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12Reaching for HCM. SAFER handle deployed.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14Waiting for motion to cease.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Powering on.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20SAFER is the Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue
0:52:20 > 0:52:23and it's the jetpack that the crew members are installing
0:52:23 > 0:52:25on their spacesuit and it allows them
0:52:25 > 0:52:29to rescue themselves in case they ever come off structure.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31So basically there's six jets on every corner -
0:52:31 > 0:52:33the top two and the bottom two corners -
0:52:33 > 0:52:35and those six thrusters allow the crew member
0:52:35 > 0:52:39to manoeuvre themselves in space and bring them back to space station.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Pitching up.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44Airlock identified.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46It feels incredibly real.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Plus X, ten seconds.
0:52:51 > 0:52:52Ceasing X.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55N2 level - 35%.
0:52:57 > 0:52:58Yeah, you get a real sense
0:52:58 > 0:53:00of actually being outside the space station.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Good closure rate.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06'People might think you can use this to fly around space station.
0:53:06 > 0:53:07'You don't have that much time.'
0:53:07 > 0:53:09How are you doing on gas?
0:53:09 > 0:53:11Pretty low on gas, I'm at 6%.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16Of course, if any astronaut finds themselves off-structure
0:53:16 > 0:53:19and fails to return to the space station,
0:53:19 > 0:53:21there's no other way to retrieve them.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25Braking. Negative X.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28Negative X.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32- I've got the hand rail.- All right, Tim, you made it back to station.
0:53:32 > 0:53:33- Good job.- Wow! - APPLAUSE
0:53:33 > 0:53:35That's pretty impressive.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38That's good.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40Tim's been great. He didn't need much training.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42I gave him a few hints and tricks that you wouldn't know
0:53:42 > 0:53:45unless you actually use a SAFER,
0:53:45 > 0:53:48but as far as the conceptual theory part of it,
0:53:48 > 0:53:49he understood right away.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52There's very few times when he's not made it back.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05Daddy! Daddy!
0:54:05 > 0:54:07Daddy!
0:54:12 > 0:54:15The prospect of doing an EVA, an actual spacewalk, of course,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19I think for any astronaut is the absolute icing on the cake.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22It's a real dream come true.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24You shouldn't really get your hopes up and,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27even if there's an EVA scheduled, all sorts of things can change
0:54:27 > 0:54:30and, until that hatch opens,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33you can't really know for sure you're going to get a spacewalk,
0:54:33 > 0:54:36but of course it's something that I'm really hoping for.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48It was good, it was as expected.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51It was tough, it was like I've been in the gym all day!
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Thanks for your help.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13- Good morning.- How are you? - Good, thanks very much.- Good.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Check in to Moscow.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20It's Sunday the 8th of November, about 7.30 in the morning,
0:55:20 > 0:55:22and I'm at T5, London Heathrow.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24I've just checked in for my flight to Moscow.
0:55:24 > 0:55:25I'm really looking forward
0:55:25 > 0:55:28to getting on the way now, focusing on the mission.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Rebecca and the boys are still back in Houston,
0:55:30 > 0:55:32but I'll get to catch up with them
0:55:32 > 0:55:35in about two and a half weeks in Star City.
0:55:35 > 0:55:36So, goodbye, UK!
0:55:57 > 0:56:01Tim has trained for six years to become an astronaut.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04Now, the time for his launch is fast approaching.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10I'm immensely proud to be British.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12I've always been very proud to wear the union flag
0:56:12 > 0:56:17because you're representing your country in a unique position
0:56:17 > 0:56:21and so that puts some pressure on to make sure you come up to scratch.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45I've never launched on a Soyuz, but I've seen several Soyuz launches.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48It's moving to watch a launch.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51It's also a pretty daunting thing, as well,
0:56:51 > 0:56:53because we've been up close to that rocket.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56It's a very powerful machine.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59You know, full of risk.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06Our families make huge sacrifices for what we're about to do.
0:57:06 > 0:57:07Daddy!
0:57:07 > 0:57:12'I'm going to miss them hugely and that's hard at times'
0:57:12 > 0:57:14because often when I'll talk to the boys,
0:57:14 > 0:57:16they're counting down the number of sleeps
0:57:16 > 0:57:18as to when they'll see Daddy again.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22- Would you like to go in one of these spacesuits and go underwater?- Yes.
0:57:22 > 0:57:23Yeah?
0:57:23 > 0:57:25They will miss him desperately
0:57:25 > 0:57:27and we'll just try to make the time pass
0:57:27 > 0:57:29as quickly as possible for them.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33I know Tim won't want it to pass too fast, but, yeah, it will be fine.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45It's Tuesday the 24th of November and exactly three weeks today
0:57:45 > 0:57:48until I launch into space and my family...
0:57:48 > 0:57:50- THOMAS SHOUTS - Ha, Thomas!
0:57:51 > 0:57:54I'm back in Star City and the family are here,
0:57:54 > 0:57:57so just enjoying some great time with them
0:57:57 > 0:58:00before heading down to Baikonur for the final two weeks in quarantine.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04And, although I'll be missing Christmas this year, as you can see,
0:58:04 > 0:58:08Christmas has come early to Star City, so what better time to enjoy
0:58:08 > 0:58:11some fun in the snow before this incredible adventure into space?