Tim Peake is hoping that his mission to the international space station will inspire more young people to develop an interest in science and engineering.

Peake’s six month stint begins today, on Wednesday 15 December, when he will leave Earth to join the orbiting laboratory to carry out science research.

But an additional part of Peake’s mission is to share his experiences through social media, allowing a unique insight into the work of an astronaut to his 99,000 followers on Twitter.

So, before he heads off to boldly go where (a few) men have gone before, here’s everything you need to know about Tim Peake.

He beat 8,000 applicants to land the coveted job

There were only six places on the European Space Agency’s astronaut training programme. The process involves academic tests, fitness assessments and character interviews.

Peake’s appointment began as part of a concentrated push for Britain to be more involved in the ESA’s space travel. All previous British-born astronauts have had to change their nationality to become US citizens in order to ride Nasa’s space shuttle.

But in 2010, the launch of a UK space agency began in order to help Britain muscle in on aspirations to become a major player in space exploration over the next two decades.

He comes from a military background

After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1992, Peake served as a platoon Commander in the now defunct light infantry regiment, the Royal Green Jackets.

He later became a qualified helicopter pilot and later a flight instructor, graduating from the Empire Test Pilots School, so he’s got plenty of strings to his bow.

He's the UK's answer to Commander Chris Hadfield

Cdr Hadfield, from Canada, was his country's first professional astronaut, but gained a legion of fans on the Soyuz space capsule mission to and from the ISS, by performing a cover of the Bowie classic, Space Oddity. He now has close to one million followers on Twitter.

Peake is technically the first British citizen to be an astronaut; though there have been previous British people in space, they have had to change citizenship in order to fly with NASA due to the complicated rules about which countries can travel in space.

As part of Britain's involvement in the ESA, which aims to contribute billions to the global economy, he is something of a poster boy for the country's space programme.

People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them “economic security” by reducing the Government’s spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australia’s National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said “I think you’re a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether you’re straight or gay, people shouldn’t know anything about your sexuality” but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, “I was just trying to say actors are more effective when they’re a mystery. Right?” Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she said“Film-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesn’t create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I don’t qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walker’s daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her father’s death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards” and attempts to “prescribe ‘new rights’ that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs.” In 2013 he described homosexuals as “worse than pigs, goats and birds.” Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (£39m) between June 2014 and June 2015.

He’s got a huge Twitter following

Maybe because being sent into space makes him infinitely more interesting than anyone else on the social networking site.

With 99,300 followers and counting, Peake has been busy telling the world about the preparations he’s had to take to get into shape for his mission, including eating special astronaut food to help his body transition to a new diet and getting several jabs, biopsies, x-rays and MRI scans.

He’s also a qualified aquanaut

And yes, that means he’s a bit like an astronaut but he spends his time underwater.

Peake began serving as an aquanaut in 2012 on board the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 16 undersea exploration mission.