While naturally elated at becoming the UK’s first “official” astronaut in space as part of ESA’s astronaut corps, that did not prevent Major Tim Peake from making his first gaffe in orbit. Major Tim made an error in dialling back to Earth and got a wrong telephone number instead.
Peake subsequently publically apologised for the error – not knowing exactly whom he had called.
It later transpired (according to the Daily Mirror) that he had, in fact, accidentally telephoned 79-year-old British pensioner called Betty Barker. On hearing Major Tim say: “Hello, is that Planet Earth,” her response to the apparently drunk prank phone caller was “No” before promptly hanging up.
Ah well, at least this orbiting nuisance caller was not making a spacewalk at the time (he is due to make his first EVA spacewalk on 15 January 2016 to repair an ISS power regulator) or else the heavy breathing picked up by his sensitive spacesuit microphones might just have got him arrested. Well – once he is back on Earth that is.
