British astronaut swaps family Christmas for space mission

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan: Astronaut Timothy Peake, set to become the first Briton to travel to the International Space Station, said on the eve of his departure that he would look down on Earth at Christmas time and think of his family -- hopefully while tucking into some Christmas pudding himself.

The former army major -- a European Space Agency flight engineer -- is blasting off from Baikonur in Kazakstan on Tuesday with two American and Russian colleagues for a 171-day mission at the orbiting research outpost.

"We´ve been so busy focusing on this mission I forgot that Christmas is just a week away," Peake told reporters at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur on Monday. "We´ll be enjoying the fantastic view of planet Earth and our thoughts will be with everyone on Earth enjoying Christmas and with our friends and family."

The 43-year-old added that he would be able to call his relatives from space to wish them a merry Christmas.

"I also heard that a Christmas pudding went up on orbital four so we will have treats as well," Peake said to laughter in the press room.