Tim Peake's International Space Station mission seeks name...

[Judgementus]

The European Space Agency is asking people to choose a name for British astronaut Tim Peake's next mission.

Citizens and residents of all the Agency's member nations are eligible to enter the competition.

The winning entry needs to be short and snappy and will be the official mission name and incorporated into the logo.

Major Peake is due to go to the International Space Station towards the end of 2015 and spend six months there carrying out scientific experiments.

It is customary for the public to help choose mission names every time a European astronaut goes into orbit.

Names that reflect an astronaut's nationality are encouraged, but they should also have a wider European flavour, and be easy to pronounce.

Previous mission names have included "Marco Polo" for the Italian Astronaut Roberto Vittori, "Odissia" for Belgian Frank de Winne, and "DELTA Mission" for Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers' flight to the ISS. DELTA was an acronym for "Dutch Expedition for Life Science, Technology and Atmospheric Research".

The aim of the competition, according to Rosita Suenson of the European Space Agency, is to engage the public.

"We want people to feel part of Tim's mission," she told BBC News.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26562918

[John Crichton]

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