UnNews:Tim Peake celebrates first tea since December
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| Tim Peake celebrates first tea since December | 
|
18 June 2016
KAZAKHSTAN, Russia -- Tim Peake is enjoying his first cup of tea since embarking on his historic six-month stay in space, when he and two other astronauts landed safely in Kazakhstan. Peake is the first British astronaut to have completed a spacewalk and the first man to have run a marathon from orbit.
Sitting in a debriefing room with his “Keep Calm and Drink Tea” mug of PG tips and four rich tea biscuits, Peake told reporters: “This is incredible, best cuppa I’ve ever had… ever.” Peake said he was “truly elated” to be back home. “The smell of tea is just so good. It’s just wonderful to be back on fresh milk,” he said.
The three-hour return trip via the Soyuz spacecraft also included coffee drinking NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, who prefers vodka. And it wasn’t an easy ride back; temperatures outside the capsule on reentry reached 2,910 degrees Fahrenheit, far too hot for tea, which ideally needs to be around 185 degrees when poured into the pot, according to the Guardian.
Like dealing with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay or being openly pro-Brexit as a Tory front bencher; returning to Earth on the Soyuz capsule has a bit of a reputation as a volatile experience, the Guardian also reported.
“It is physically extremely violent,” said retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. “We often describe it as 15 minutes of being blown up, followed by a complete car crash. Apollo 13? Tom Hanks never had it so good.”
Peake, 44, is a former helicopter test pilot. According to the BBC, in 2009 he was chosen from a pool of 8,000 applicants to join the European Space Agency’s training program.
Peake’s first trip to space lasted 186 days, with nothing but coffee or cocoa to have with breakfast. A month after his launch, the astronaut experimented with making a brew from a tea bag he had saved, hidden in his tartan slippers. But using powdered milk and a plastic bag with a straw just didn’t cut it; even with a Maryland cookie. Peake also conducted a spacewalk to help replace a failed voltage regulator in order to restore Sky Sports 1.
He also participated in more than 250 other experiments, including some on himself, such as how long he could hold his breath and how fast he could spin himself around in the airlock before he felt sick. Peake’s sleeping and behavioral patterns were monitored to learn more about how Brits adapt to the absence of rain. And while humans on Earth ran the 2016 London Marathon, Peake jogged along in space, running 26.2 miles on a treadmill in just under four seconds.
Peake became the first person to be honored by a British royal while in space: Queen Elizabeth II recognized him for “extraordinary service beyond our planet” in giving the companion of the order of St. Michael and St. George. It’s an honor typically bestowed for distinguished overseas service, such as staying two weeks in Gran Canaria without getting arrested for being drunk and disorderly.
The British astronaut will receive medical evaluations at ESA’s base in Cologne, Germany, according to ESA. Researchers will also collect data to see how Peake’s mind and body could be persuaded to join the “Remain” campaign. “It’s a life-changing experience,” Peake told reporters. “It’s overwhelming, really, to have a nice, strong cup of char, having been up there for six months just looking at tea adverts.”
While he said he couldn’t wait to see his family and eat roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, he added, “I’m going to miss the view, definitely and playing “Hadron Collider” with the other Tim, throwing ourselves from each end of the station was fun, until we were told to stop it by NASA. Overall though I’d say being on the ISS is a bit like renting a static caravan in Port Solent. A couple of days stay is probably long enough, unless you take a good book.”
Sources[edit]
- Elahe Izadi "‘Best ride I’ve been on, ever’: British astronaut returns to Earth after historic mission". Washington Post, June 18, 2016