ASTRONAUT Tim Peake recently visited Winston Churchill School, and was able to cast an expert eye over the school’s Discovery Space Building.

Major Peake was primarily undertaking activities on behalf of RAF charities, using the Woking Planetarium at the school as a focus for interviews and filming.

He spent time with a small selection of students, although both they and the majority of staff were unaware of the celebrity they were about to meet because of arrangements surrounding the visit.

“I very much enjoyed visiting the planetarium at Winston Churchill School,” Major Peake said. “It is a superb educational resource that I am sure will inspire young people to think beyond the confines of our planet and instead encourage them to reflect on the many ways in which space – and its exploration – is helping to broaden our knowledge and understanding across so many different subjects.”

Woking Planetarium is the only state school owned planetarium in the UK, and is also open to the public, providing regular shows for all the family that allow an immersive look at the cosmos.

The next show is tomorrow night (Friday 14 February), a full-dome film on what it takes to become an astronaut, narrated by Ewan McGregor. Experience a rocket launch and discover the perils that lurk in space. The presentation also includes a live night sky update. Cost £5 – visit www.wcsc.org.uk/planetarium for details.

For the full story get the 13 February edition of the News & Mail