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By Mike Perry on

Tim Peake’s Spacecraft lands at MSI: Live!

Welcome to Tim Peake's Spacecraft lands at MSI – Live! You'll be able to follow our progress today right here on the blog—look out for behind-the-scenes photos, social media updates from the team, reports from the press and maybe even a surprise or two...

Please note: the Soyuz spacecraft and Sokol spacesuit are no longer on display at the Science and Industry Museum. To find out what exhibitions and activities are open today, visit our What’s On section.


17.00 – That’s all, folks

We’re all set downstairs now, so all that’s left for me to do is thank you all for stopping by at our live feed today.

And of course, to tell you to come on down to the Museum from 10.00 tomorrow (Saturday 10 March) until Sunday 13 May to come and see Tim Peake’s Spacecraft and Spacesuit, as well as have a go on our Space Descent VR experience. They are all quite literally out of this world!

See you on the other side…!


16.10 – We have lift off!


15.30 – Professor George has found the VR lounge


15.10 – A man of many talents Pt.3

Who is the best Lewis?

  • Reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton
  • Inventor of Narnia, CS Lewis
  • Noted over-actor Daniel Day-Lewis
  • MSI Assistant Curator Lewis Pollard

Answers on a postcard, Ladies and Gents!


15.00 – A man of many talents pt.2

…And now Lewis has just broadcast live via our Facebook page, alongside our Marketing Manager Nancy. Is there no end to what he can do?


14.30 – A man of many talents

Not only has he proved himself this morning to be a broadcasting pro, Assistant Curator Lewis Pollard has also been busy writing the interpretation for the exhibition:


14.00 – The montage strikes back

We’re back. And whilst this Web Manager was swanning about on his lunch break, the team downstairs have been working extremely hard to manoeuvre the Soyuz spacecraft and Sokol spacesuit into position:


12.45 – “Pull the ripcord now!” “You first.”

Yes. Two movie references in as many posts. Patrick Swayze would have been proud.

Anyway, now the spacecraft itself has made it into the Museum, our team have turned their attention to the parachute that acted as a brake for the Soyuz as it fell to Earth. I’m sure it was just as nailbiting as the end of Point Break.

Here’s the team working on unfolding the parachute:

The grand unfolding of Tim Peake’s parachute #SoyuzTour

A post shared by Museum of Science and Industry (@msimanchester) on

And Exhibitions Project Manager Jane Brown took the below photo, to give you an idea of the size of parachute capable of slowing a spacecraft as it returns to Earth:


12.15 – Everybody loves a montage!

Our roving photographer Drew has been following the team around this morning, and has taken some great snaps of how we’ve been getting on.

The European Space Agency has got nothing on our logistics crew.


11.45 – A word from the man himself

Looks as though Tim is as happy as we are to have his spacesuit here!


11.30 – Who needs carrier rockets…

When you’ve got pallet trucks?


11.15 – Radio coverage with Professor Danielle George

Friend of the Museum Professor Danielle George has been here this morning talking to talkRADIO and Radio Manchester about our new arrival. Thanks Danielle! Plus our curators Erin Beeston and Georgina Young have been talking all things space, time and history for the launch of BBC Civilisations – catch them on TV this evening…


11.05 – Final flight suit checks for Sokol

Here’s Conservation and Collections Care Manager Rachel Rimmer again, putting the finishing touches to our Sokol display:

11.00 – Entering MSI’s atmosphere

Oh, so that’s how we were going to get it in the building…


10.55 – Important PSA from elsewhere on #Soyuz

Unrelated to today’s events but useful information nonetheless. Fortunately there were people there to let Tim Peake out of his, but you never know. Thanks for the tip, @Rainmaker1973!


10.45 – Creative Tourist drop by

Our friends at Creative Tourist have already been to see us, and had some very kind words to say:

We defy even the most space-sceptic not to find this one of the most blinking fascinating things you will see in a long time.

And they’re not wrong!

Read the whole article here.


10.30 – First glimpses of the star of the show

The tarp is off, as our crew set about moving the spacecraft into the Museum:


10.15 – Hollywood beckons for curator lewis

Shout out to Assistant Curator Lewis Pollard, who has just made his radio debut, boldly stepping in at the last minute to talk all things Soyuz!


10.00 – Tim Peake’s Spacecraft has arrived!

Forget re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. Travelling from York to Manchester on a flatbed on a cold March morning with just a tarpaulin for protection is surely the greatest challenge the Soyuz has had to face.

Tim Peake’s spacecraft has arrived!! #soyuz

A post shared by Museum of Science and Industry (@msimanchester) on


09.45 – The Sokol spacesuit arrives in our collections department

Here’s our Conservation and Collections Care Manager Rachel Rimmer delicately unpacking the Sokol spacesuit on its arrival at the Museum yesterday afternoon. It may have been to space and back but it’s still very precious cargo!


09.00 – Tim Peake’s SOKOL KV-2 spacesuit joins the science museum group collection

We are delighted to announce that the emergency spacesuit worn by Tim Peake as he traveled into space has joined the Science Museum Group Collection. And you’ll be able to see it at the Museum of Science and Industry alongside the Soyuz TMA-19M descent module as of Saturday 10 March!

To find out more about the spacesuit, our friends at our sister museum in London, the Science Museum, have written this handy blog post featuring 11 things you might not know about Tim Peake’s spacesuit.

And here is the man himself talking more about the spacesuit:


06.00 – Welcome to Tim Peake’s Spacecraft lands at MSI – Live!

Today (Friday 9 March) is the day that Tim Peake’s Spacecraft, the Soyuz TMA-19M descent module, lands at the Museum of Science and Industry as part of its national museum tour, presented by Samsung and the Science Museum Group.

We’re going to be spending all day making sure that the spacecraft arrives here safely from our sister museum in York, the National Railway Museum, and gets settled into its home for the next couple of months, ahead of being unveiled to the the public tomorrow (Saturday 10 March).

To coincide with the spacecraft’s stay here (10 March – 13 May), we also have a variety of special events and activities lined up, including daily demonstrations, the Space Descent VR with Tim Peake virtual reality experience, a space-themed Late event, and a jam-packed Learning programme.

If you can’t wait until Saturday, we also recently published two blog posts to whet your appetite from Tom Fisher, an aerospace engineering researcher at the University of Manchester: one detailing the challenges of bringing spacecraft like the Soyuz back to Earth; and another taking a tongue-in-cheek look at how other things might fair when attempting re-entry.

Check back here at 09.00 for our first update of the day. It’s going to be a big one!

In the meantime though, May the Force to Live Long and Prosper into Infinity and Beyond Be With You!

Tim Peake in uniform stood next to his spacecraft

One comment on “Tim Peake’s Spacecraft lands at MSI: Live!

  1. Excellent report! Full of interesting facts. Seen this display at London Science Museum; well worth a visit.

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