Some Astronauts Are Going To Watch "Star Wars" In Space

The British astronaut and the rest of the International Space Station crew are going to be shown a screening of The Force Awakens 250 miles above the Earth.

Tim Peake, the British astronaut, says that the crew of the International Space Station are “very excited” about watching the new Star Wars movie.

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"We haven't seen the new movie yet," he told reporters during his first press conference. "We're a bit late. But I think that on the 21st we're going to get to watch it up here.

"We're all fans up here, we're very excited. What a place to watch Star Wars, up in space."

Being on the space station was "way better than I imagined", he said.

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He said that the thing that had most surprised him on his arrival was the "blackness of space". "We always talk about seeing the view of Earth, and how beautiful it is, so you sort of expect it," he said. "But we don't talk about what it's like when you look in the opposite direction.

"It's the blackest black, and you realise how small the Earth is, in all that blackness."

He hasn't really got the hang of somersaults yet.

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"I definitely haven’t mastered the zero-G somersault," he said. "I can show you how bad it is. Practice makes perfect – give me a week."

He'll miss his family on Christmas day, but there are consolations.

NASA

On Christmas day, the astronauts will have work to do, but he'll also have time to phone his friends and family. "We've got great communications so I'll be able to call my family," he said. "I'm in a very privileged position. Although I'll be missing friends and family, at least I'll be able to orbit the Earth 16 times on Christmas day.

"What an amazing place to call from. I'll also be taking some photos of our beautiful planet."

The space station smells, but not in a bad way.

NASA / ESA

Peake said that the ISS smells "kind of metallic, chemical, but not strong. Not bad in any way, quite distinctive."

Still, for a while he felt quite sick and dizzy. "The first 24 hours are pretty rough," he said. "Every time you turn a corner or look left and right your vestibular system is sending signals that don't match your eyes and you do feel a bit dizzy. But I'm amazed how quickly the body adjusts. On the second morning I felt fine and ready to work."

He also says that tea in space tastes "surprisingly good".

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