Visitors explore the spacecraft that took astronaut Tim Peake on an historical journey

The spacecraft which transported Tim Peake, the UK’s first European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, to and from the International Space Station has landed at York’s National Railway Museum.

The Soyuz TMA-19M capsule, complete with equipped interior and re-entry char marks on it outer body, will be on public display for three months along with its 25m diameter parachute.

The display of the iconic craft will be accompanied by a range of activities, including the Space Descent VR virtual reality experience, narrated by Tim Peake himself, which places the visitor inside the Soyuz TMA-19M to witness first-hand the 250-mile journey back to earth from the International Space Station (ISS).

Soyuz TMA-19M carried Peake and crewmates Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Kopra in ESA Expedition 46/47 to the ISS on December 15th, 2015, returning on June 18th, 2016. It was acquired last year by the Science Museum Group.

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Tim Peake said of the acquisition: ‘You do become very attached to your spacecraft because it definitely does save your life. I’m absolutely delighted that my Soyuz spacecraft, the TMA-19M, is going to be returning here to the UK and may serve, hopefully, as inspiration for our next generation of scientists and engineers.’

‘It’s hard to express how excited we are to be hosting Soyuz in our museum in York, said National Railway Museum director, Judith McNicol. ‘The Soyuz capsule represents one of history’s most incredible technological feats, and this is an unmissable opportunity for visitors young and old to see the craft that took Tim Peake all the way to the space station and back.

‘Due to the National Railway Museum being part of the Science Museum Group, it allows us to host such a unique part of science history and is the start of an exciting new adventure for the museum.’