November 7, 2016 4.12 pm This story is over 88 months old

Lincoln UTC students meet British astronaut Tim Peake

Three software developing students from Lincoln University Technical College met British ESA astronaut Tim Peake last week. Theo Drabble, Ralph Reader-Sullivan (both 16 from Newark) and Henry Barker (17 from Dunholme near Lincoln) met astronaut Major Tim Peake on Wednesday, November 2. The trio won a national software design competition in July 2015, which saw…
The students met with astronaut Tim Peake after winning a competition in July last year

Three software developing students from Lincoln University Technical College met British ESA astronaut Tim Peake last week.

Theo Drabble, Ralph Reader-Sullivan (both 16 from Newark) and Henry Barker (17 from Dunholme near Lincoln) met astronaut Major Tim Peake on Wednesday, November 2.

The trio won a national software design competition in July 2015, which saw their reaction-testing games travel into space with Major Peake.

Major Tim Peake, 44, is the first British ESA astronaut and between December 15, 2015 and June 18, 2016, spent 185 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes in space.

The trio met with astronaut, Tim Peake last week

The trio met with astronaut, Tim Peake last week

Better known as Team Terminal, the trio joined over 1,000 other UK students in entering the Astro Pi competition, which challenged school pupils to code on a modified Raspberry Pi computer.

By coming first in the secondary school competition and joint first in the Key Stage 4 category, Team Terminal’s software was taken into space and used on the International Space Station to investigate how the crews’ reaction times changed during a long mission.

Back on earth following his six month stay on ISS, the students met up with Major Peake at the UK Space Agency’s Schools Conference at the University of York.

Theo said: “It was a great experience, designing and coding a series of games that the astronauts could play whilst in space to see how their reaction times change over the course of a long mission.”

Lincoln UTC Principal, Dr Rona Mackenzie added: “I am very proud of the achievements of these three students.”