Peake's spacecraft to be displayed in Bradford

British astronaut Tim Peake with the Russian Soyuz capsule which carried him and his crew to and from the International Space Station. Picture by Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire.

Charred on the outside and fully equipped on the inside, the capsule graced by Tim Peake as he travelled to and from the International Space Station (ISS) is to go on public display in Bradford.

The Soyuz TMA-19M craft is expected to be a huge draw for visitors to the National Science and Media Museum when it is set up, along with its 25m diameter parachute, at the museum between September 27 and November 19.

Peake’s awe-inspiring 250-mile return journey to Earth, during which the craft was singed as it re-entered the planet’s atmosphere, will be relived by visitors using virtual reality technology.

The Space Descent VR experience also recreates travelling over the ISS.

An evening of interactive space-themed entertainment for adults will be held on September 28 and the museum’s October half-term activities, from the 21st to the 29th, will be dedicated to the Principia mission undertaken by Peake, who became the UK’s first European Space Agency astronaut in 2015.

Children will have the chance to undergo astronaut-training, take the helm at mission control and launch self-designed rockets.

Museum director, Jo Quinton-Tulloch, said: “The Science Museum Group acquired the Soyuz TMA-19M capsule last year, and we’re the first venue to display it outside the capital. It’s hard to express how excited we are to be bringing it to Bradford. The capsule represents one of history’s most incredible technological feats, and this is an unmissable opportunity for visitors.”