British ESA astronaut Tim Peake will be launched to the International Space Station, from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft 15 December. <br /> <br />One of the last hurdles before being allowed to go into space is the Soyuz exams held in Star City, Russia. Six hours of simulated spaceflight in a cramped Soyuz spacecraft while the examinators test the astronauts by programming as many malfunctions into the simulated mission as possible. ESA astronaut Tim Peake, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and commander-cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko went through them all on Friday 20 November and passed their exams. <br /> <br />Named after Isaac Newton’s text Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Tim’s “Principia” mission will be the eighth ESA long-duration mission to the International Space Station. He will spend five months on orbit carrying out an intensive schedule of european and international experiments, in addition to numerous educational activities. <br /> <br />Follow Tim Peake and his mission via http://timpeake.esa.int
