Revealed, best training to be an astronaut... build a flat-pack Ikea wardrobe!
HE will be asked to perform many complex scientific tasks aboard the International Space Station.
But British astronaut Tim Peake has admitted that being able to assemble an Ikea wardrobe is one of the skills which has helped him most in space.
He said an ability to build flat-pack furniture has proved most useful – claiming the work is similar to what he does on his mission.
Speaking from the space station, Major Peake said: ‘The ability to put together an Ikea wardrobe is probably one of the unexpected skills.
‘The ability to be able to operate with tools and equipment, to read procedures efficiently and effectively – that’s our day-to-day operation and that’s something we have to be good at.’
The father of two, whose wife is from Comrie, Perthshire, made the comments as part of a live video call with teachers from the UK, Norway and Poland.
He was replying to a question by Tom Holloway, a science teacher at a Surrey primary school, about which skills had been surprisingly useful in space.
Major Peake added: ‘There’s not much in the space business that is unexpected, and I guess that’s a good thing.’
The 44-year-old is also conducting experiments on himself to help scientists understand the impact of space flight on the human body, to help in future missions to Mars.
Regarding his space training, he recalled a European Space Agency trip to Sardinia, Italy, where he camped out in a cave for seven nights, and Nasa’s 12-day underwater training in Florida.
He said that they provided wonderful environments for psychological profiling and problem solving.
While in space, he will participate in the London Marathon on April 24.
He said the biggest challenge will be staying on the treadmill, attached by an uncomfortable harness, as he runs.
Major Peake took part in the
‘It’s one of the unexpected skills’
London Marathon in 1999, finishing in 3 hours 18 minutes and 50 seconds, and he aims to complete this year’s race in under four hours.
During the call, he also spoke of the first time space influenced him.
‘(It was) as a very young boy when I used to love looking up at the stars,’ he said, ‘and I always had questions to my parents about where we are, what is the universe made of, what are the planets in the solar system?’
In past calls he has had some mishaps. On Christmas Eve, he dialled a wrong number, asking a stranger: ‘Is this planet Earth?’
He also had to leave a message for his parents, who missed his call to wish them a Merry Christmas.