\u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ve been asked to be in front of the camera on a documentary. I\u2019ve done some TV interviews and things before, but never on this scale. And it\u2019s a whole new skill set to learn, which I love \u2013 I just love learning new things,\u201d he told RadioTimes.com<\/a>, crediting the small but \u201cbrilliant\u201d team he\u2019s grown close to along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cYou learn about how to work under pressure and how to deal with challenges in spaceflight, and I just apply the same sort of principles to this.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a case of, \u2018Okay, roll with the punches. What can we do? How can we turn it round? And how can we adapt, overcome and make something even better?’\u201d<\/p>\n This pragmatic approach had to be implemented when Peake came down with COVID-19 shortly after arriving in Arizona, the US state famous for its stunning copper landscapes that resemble the surface of Mars. Cue a major shake-up of the crew\u2019s previously agreed shooting schedule \u2013 but they were still able to polish off the entire series in a matter of months.<\/p> Secrets of Our Universe is a continuation of Peake\u2019s admirable work to get children and young people excited about space.<\/p>\n Since his return to Earth, he has collaborated with Steve Cole on youth-oriented sci-fi novels Swarm: Rising<\/a> and its sequel, which are inspired by space-age science and technology. Last year, he followed up that success with kids\u2019 non-fiction hit The Cosmic Diary of our Incredible Universe<\/a>. His hope is that this latest project is another thing the whole family can enjoy.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a father of an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old, we love watching all sorts of documentaries,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had this in mind when we were making this show. We want people who may have no knowledge of space, or exploration, or what we\u2019re doing at all to be able to sit down and just enjoy and be informed in very easy-to-understand language.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, we\u2019re talking about really complex things here, but my premise has always been if I can\u2019t explain something to a 10-year-old, then it means I don\u2019t understand it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n This approach is clear to see from the first episode of Secrets of Our Universe, which offers an introduction to the planets in \u201cour own neighbourhood\u201d \u2013 aka the Solar System \u2013 before looking further afield to more distant discoveries. Peake and his team attempt to find Earth-based parallels to the wonders of outer space, taking them to several spots across the globe.<\/p>\n He feels \u201cprivileged\u201d to have had a chance to film at the Grand Canyon\u2019s iconic Horseshoe Bend, while he was also thrilled to pay his first ever visit to Perth, Australia, which is regarded as a premier location for stargazing. But the series finale reflects on a period of Peake\u2019s life when he had an even better view of space.<\/p>\n Indeed, an exploration of space missions \u2013 past, present and future \u2013 left him \u201cquite nostalgic\u201d for his six-month stint on the ISS. He said: \u201cI love looking back at it\u2026 I hope there might be a chance for me to get up again on a future mission and to go back to the space station. But if not, then those memories are incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead, a current priority for international space agencies is returning to the moon to set up a permanent habitation module for the purpose of cutting-edge scientific research and learning more about our universe. Peake doesn\u2019t expect to set foot on the lunar surface himself, but is nevertheless excited by the potential of the mission.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the generations today that didn\u2019t see the last moon landing in 1972 \u2013 I was eight months old, so I class myself as not seeing it, I was probably plonked in front of a television and maybe did \u2013 but wow, that is going to be incredible for today\u2019s generations to witness. I think it\u2019s very inspiring,\u201d he explained with palpable enthusiasm.<\/p>\n Of course, many still wonder whether we\u2019ll bump into anyone during our voyages into space. We put the question to Peake \u2013 is finding extraterrestrial life an \u2018if\u2019 or a \u2018when\u2019?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to think it\u2019s a \u2018when\u2019,\u201d he answered. \u201cMy gut feeling is it\u2019s a \u2018when\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Elaborating, he said: \u201cI firmly believe life exists out there; intelligent, complex life exists out there. I think the universe is teeming with life at a single cell level. I think that complex life exists and it\u2019s probably much more rare. Just look at our own galaxy: hundreds of billions of stars, the planets we\u2019ve already discovered.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know our sun is very ordinary, we know planets around stars are very ordinary, and we know that because they seem to form in the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n Peake gives a convincing pitch that we aren\u2019t alone in the universe \u2013 I\u2019m certainly not going to argue with him \u2013 but he goes on to admit that there\u2019s no guarantee we\u2019ll ever make contact. In the entire time that humanity has been transmitting radio signals into space, they would have travelled only a \u201ctiny, tiny distance\u201d relative to the size of just our own galaxy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe human species may come and go without ever finding signs of life, and yet we could be surrounded by life, even in our relatively local area of the Milky Way,\u201d he said, in a statement which could be deflating or relieving depending on which sci-fi movies you\u2019ve watched recently.<\/p>\n Now, back to Secrets of Our Universe. Sandwiched between The Planets and Space Missions is an episode titled Stars and Black Holes, the latter of which never cease to fascinate and confound. What makes these galactic enigmas so alluring?<\/p>\n \u201cI think our curiosity is sparked by the things that we don\u2019t know about. Black holes, 70 years ago, were just a theory; just a mathematical theory on a board as to something that could possibly happen. And now we photograph them\u2026 but we still can\u2019t explain what happens inside them.<\/p>\n \u201cOur maths will not tell us, our theories will not tell us what happens at singularity,\u201d Peake began.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is such a fundamental question, because it kind of also goes back to the beginning of the entire universe. How did the universe come from a singularity to what we see today? Well, how does a black hole take all that matter and collapse it down into a singularity? They\u2019re very much linked.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, basically, black holes represent some of the biggest questions that we all have as humans.\u201d Does anyone else have goosebumps?<\/p>\n Suffice to say, you shouldn\u2019t expect a definitive answer to every mystery of existence in Secrets of Our Universe. But you can easily see how these topics can spark a lifelong fascination with all things outer space. And future generations could conceivably have greater access to it than ever before.<\/p>\n Peake says that the current development of space tourism through the likes of Virgin Galactic and SpaceX provides an \u201cabsolutely amazing\u201d opportunity for novices, although acknowledges these are locked behind an extraordinarily high price point for now. That may not be the case forever, though.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019re talking now about going on holiday to Florida to Disneyland to take your kids \u2013 okay, it\u2019s still a pricey holiday \u2013 but there\u2019s a much, much greater population who can afford that than back in the 1920s or \u201930s, when a tiny percentage of people would be able to afford a transatlantic flight,\u201d said Peake.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, in 100 years\u2019 time, we could be having a very ordinary conversation. We\u2019ll be having holidays on orbiting space stations and it will become completely normal for people to potentially do that. Or we\u2019ll have a suborbital transportation system where we can fly from London to Sydney in an hour because of the technology that we\u2019re developing now.\u201d<\/p>\n The hefty price of admission aside, Peake won\u2019t be rushing to board a commercial suborbital any time soon (\u201cI\u2019m not going to deny, that would be nothing compared to six months living in orbit from 400 kilometres\u201d), but we could see him back on our screens in the not-too-distant future.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love to do more of them,\u201d he said, discussing Secrets of Our Universe. \u201cThere\u2019s a million things I\u2019d love to cover.\u201d<\/p> ![\"Astronaut](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/09\/tim-peake-grand-canyon-20a778a.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"tim-peake-grand-canyon\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Tim](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/09\/1Tim-PeakeSecrets-of-The-UniverseChannel5TRL5-4bd91f4.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"1_Tim")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Tim](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/09\/tim-peake-secrets-of-our-universe-3f8b33e.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"tim-peake-secrets-of-our-universe\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>