| Age: 4.6 billion years | | | | People and Space |
| The Solar System we live in contains the Sun, its eight | | | | British academics have made some of the most |
| orbiting planets and any other astronomical bodies that | | | | important discoveries in the history of space. And in Sir |
| are under its gravitational pull such as comets and | | | | Isaac Newton, we have produced perhaps the most |
| asteroids. | | | | important scientist of all time. |
| Comets originate from the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt, | | | | The UK has also been responsible for much of the |
| beyond Neptune, while most asteroids orbit in a region | | | | groundbreaking technology used in today's missions, |
| between Mars and Jupiter. | | | | and many of the experiments on them. |
| Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars - the four planets | | | | However, because we don't currently help to fund |
| closest to the Sun - are called terrestrial planets | | | | manned missions, only three people born in the UK |
| because they have solid rocky surfaces. Jupiter, | | | | have actually been into space. And two of those are |
| Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are known as gas giants. | | | | American citizens.i) In 1991 Helen Sharman became the |
| Pluto, a dwarf planet, has a solid surface but is much | | | | first Briton in space, when she took part in the Soviet |
| icier than the terrestrial planets. | | | | mission Project Juno.ii) A year later, Michael Foale |
| Our Solar System is just one star system among | | | | became the first British-born man in space onboard |
| many within the Milky Way galaxy. There are 300 | | | | STS-45. He was also the first Briton to complete a |
| billion stars in the Milky Way and the nearest, Alpha | | | | space walk.iii) The bronze medal went to Piers Sellers, |
| Centauri, is 4.3 light years away. One light year is | | | | another dual citizen, who took part in his first mission in |
| approximately 9,500 billion km, the distance travelled by | | | | 2002. Piers returned to space in July 2006 onboard |
| light in one year. | | | | STS-121.iv) In December 2006, Nicholas Patrick |
| There are around 100 billion galaxies in our Universe. | | | | became the fourth British-born astronaut in space on |
| So far, no one has detected life outside our home | | | | board STS-116 Discovery. |
| planet. | | | | |