Wannabe astronaut starring in TV series

REACH for the stars, for you never know how far you might travel ...

That’s the message from selfconfessed science geek Tim Gregory who has always dreamed of being an astronaut.

The 24-year-old PhD student from Dewsbury has recently enjoyed a taste of the “right stuff” as part of the line-up in the BBC’s new series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? which was recorded back in March and is currently screening on BBC2.

And he’ll soon return home to Yorkshire to thrill and inspire schoolchildren with his experiences.

“One of the reasons I wanted to take part in the programme was to have a platform to go into schools and talk about safe science and astronautics,” says Tim, a PhD student at the University of Bristol, who will give a talk at Norristhorpe Junior and Infant School on September 29.

“I go into schools quite regularly for geology talks. The look on children’s faces when they ‘see’ a rock for the first time through a scientist’s eyes is fantastic.”

Tim became fired up about science when he was a pupil at Hanging Heaton J&I School in Dewsbury and later at Earlsheaton High School, despite being teased by his schoolmates for being a geek. He continued his fascination at Heckmondwike Grammar, then the University of Manchester before landing in Bristol for his doctorate.

“It was people like Professor Brian Cox and Carl Sagan who really reminded me that it was cool and that there’s nothing wrong in having a passionate interest in science.

“I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when I thought I would like to become an astronaut. It’s not something I have taken seriously because there’s such a slim chance of it happening.

“But since being involved with the BBC it’s become a bit more realistic. I’m now thinking ‘What if?’ I look at the International Space Station differently now. I’ve had a very small taste of what it takes to go there.”

The BBC show focuses on 12 exceptional applicants, all wannabe astronauts who dream of becoming astronauts and going into space.

Like his namesake Major Tim Peake, who spent 186 days on the International Space Station, Tim knows that aspiring to go into space involves devoting his entire life to his dream. He reckons man could colonise Mars “within a few decades” and refers back to the space race of the ’50s and ’60s as evidence of what can be done with sheer will, hard work and science.

“The two greatest achievements are the Apollo space programme and, dare I say it, technologically the Manhattan Project. No-one could have conceived of it but they were both achieved within a short space of time. It was incredibly fast. That’s a testament to human ability. Space exploration allows us to be the best that we can be.”

Growing up in Dewsbury Tim was raised by his mum, Janet, with younger sister Janey, now 19. He praises Janet, a secretary, for always nurturing his interests, such as supporting him when he did a 10-week internship with NASA in Houston, Texas. “That,” he says with understatement, “was pretty cool”.

It’s that “cool” factor that Tim brings to his discussions with children.

“Kids ask the best questions. It’s because they haven’t been indoctrinated by the education system. They are still curious. Every child is born a scientist. The ones that are scientists when they are older are the ones that did not have it stamped out of them in school.

“Some people think that because they are from West Yorkshire they are written off – that the emphasis is on London. I say just because you are from a small Pennine town doesn’t mean you can’t do some cool stuff.”

He’s currently applying for funding to buy a meteorite for schoolchildren to hold during his talks. “I need about £3,000. That would be top class.”