We have all made a prank call or two back in the day when antics like ringing someone’s doorbell and then taking off felt like the epitome of bravery. It’s hard to indulge in such foolishness now but as humans we are always prone to error, as British astronaut Tim Peake rediscovered after he accidentally dialed the wrong number from the International Space Station. He meant to call his family, as he later explained on Twitter, apologizing and also saying that it wasn’t a prank call.
Tim Peake, a British astronaut, recently went up to join other astronauts aboard the International Space Station. He was part of the last crewed mission to the ISS and is going to stay there for quite a bit of time.
He was phoning home from the International Space Station and he ended up dialing the wrong number. Upon hearing an unfamiliar voice on the other end he asked “Hello. Is this planet Earth?”
Granted, that’s a very cool way to start a phone conversation with someone if they’re well aware that you’re up in space, but an unsuspecting person might take this for a prank call. That’s why Peake cleared up the matter on Twitter, explaining that it wasn’t a prank call, just a wrong number!
I'd like to apologise to the lady I just called by mistake saying 'Hello, is this planet Earth?' – not a prank call…just a wrong number!
— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) December 24, 2015