| Timothy Peake | |
|---|---|
| ESA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | British |
| Born | April 7, 1972 Chichester, England, United Kingdom |
| Other occupation | Test Pilot |
| Rank | Major, Army Air Corps |
| Selection | 2009 ESA Group |
| Missions | None Yet |
Timothy Nigel Peake (born April 7, 1972 in Chichester, Sussex) is a former British Army Air Corps officer and a current European Space Agency astronaut.[1] He is the first British citizen to be selected as an astronaut by ESA. Peake began ESA's intensive astronaut basic training course in September 2009 and graduated on 22 November 2010.[2]
Peake studied at the Chichester High School for Boys, leaving in 1990 to attend the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[3] Upon graduation in 1992, Peake served as a platoon Commander with the now defunct light infantry division; the Royal Green Jackets.[4] Peake became a qualified helicopter pilot in 1994 and a qualified flight instructor in 1998. In 2005, he graduated from the Empire Test Pilots School and was awarded the Westland's Trophy for best rotary wing student. Peake completed a BSc(Hons) in flight dynamics and evaluation at the University of Portsmouth the year after.[5] Peake left the army in 2009 after 17 years of service and over 3000 flying hours to his credit, becoming a test pilot with AgustaWestland.[6][7]
Peake beat out over 8,000 other applicants for one of the six places on the ESA's new astronaut training progamme. The selection process included taking academic tests, fitness assessments and several interviews.[8] Peake moved to Cologne with his family for the ESA training.[9]
If successful, Peake would become the first Briton to fly into space without a private contract (Helen Sharman) or American citizenship (Michael Foale, Piers Sellers and Nicholas Patrick).[10]