TIM TALK Space-mad autistic Hayden, 10, speaks for the first time after watching astronaut hero Peake
A SPACE-mad schoolboy who never spoke until he saw his hero Tim Peake blast into space is helping to save mankind.
Hayden Geraghty, who is autistic, has been named the European Space Agency’s youngest-ever Planetary Defence Ambassador.
The wannabe moon walker is campaigning to protect our planet from a deadly asteroid strike.
Hayden, who turns 10 today, has had support from a string of celebs including actress Keira Knightley, Downton Abbey star Peter Egan and singer Olivia Newton John.
His mum Caroline, from Limavasy, Northern Ireland, said: “We’re so proud of him and everything he has already achieved. He’s our little superstar.”
Hayden, who also has ADHD, has been fascinated with space since he uttered his first words “Tim’s away” when the astronaut launched into space in December 2015. Caroline said: “Hayden was sitting in front of the TV and all of a sudden I heard him join in with the countdown, shout ‘blast off’ and then ‘Tim’s away.’
“He spoke – and I was speechless. He’d made noises and grunts before but had never spoken a full sentence.
“We knew he knew the words, something just wasn’t clicking.
“After that he was just obsessed with space and learning about the different planets and astronomy.”
Now Caroline says she can barely get a word in with chatterbox Hayden who has met several of his heroes including physicist Brian Cox. He often messages Tim Peake on Twitter.
Caroline added: “I used to worry about Hayden because I thought his options might be limited because of the autism – but now I don’t. I can see the sky’s the limit – or even higher.”