Astronaut Tim Peake has talked about the “brilliant” moment he had while serving on the International Space Station (ISS) when he flew the Stoke City FC flag. Throughout his six-month tenure in 2015 and 2016, Mr. Peake became the first British astronaut to walk on the International Space Station and perform a spacewalk. However, long-time Stoke City supporter Andy Rushton launched a campaign before he left off to persuade Mr. Peake to bring the cub’s flag with him. Nasa approved despite the difficulties, and on Christmas Day 2015, Mr. Peake tweeted a photo of the ISS flag.
In an interview with BBC Radio Stoke, Mr. Peake recalled seeing social media posts made by Mr. Rushton the year before his space flight. Mr. Rushton used plasticine sculptures and “hilarious cartoon characters” in an attempt to get the astronaut’s attention. “I felt they were excellent. As I was enjoying them, I suddenly realised that Andy would not stop unless I reached out to him, Mr. Peake remarked. “I got in touch and said I’ll see if NASA will fly it up to the space station if he could get me a flag that’s not flammable and that weighs less than 150g or something.”
According to Mr. Peake, putting the flag into orbit required a lot of labour, including ensuring that it was the correct weight and material and that it had been thoroughly cleaned. He went on, “It’s a big deal.” A lot of work goes into sending something into space. stuff’s not as simple as packing stuff in your suitcase and leaving. In the image he shared on Twitter, the Stoke City flag was displayed in front of an ISS window, with Earth visible in the distance.
Mr. Peake declared, “It’s just really great.” It’s the contrast between being in space, in a spacecraft, and the vastness of the cosmos, but also something very human—football and a Stoke City flag, up in space—that connects us all. Currently on tour, Mr. Peake’s production Astronauts – The Quest to Explore Space will make its Stoke-on-Trent debut on Wednesday, September 11 at the Regent Theatre.
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