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The pensioner who Tim Peake accidently called from space said she thought the British astronaut “had been out down the pub”.
Betty Barker, a 79-year-old retired teacher, told the Daily Mirror : “He said, "Hello, is that planet Earth?" So I said "no".
“I thought it was someone who had been out down the pub who was having me on.
“Then because it was quiet with no giggling or noise from a pub I thought it was someone looking to go to a nightclub called Planet Earth.”
Mrs Barker said she put the phone down because she didn’t want to “take any more notice of it”.
Show all 12 1 /12In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Major Tim Peake blasting off into orbit on board the Soyuz space capsule on his way to becoming the first British astronaut to join the crew of the International Space Station (ISS)
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In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Major Tim Peake (left) blasting off into orbit on board the Soyuz space capsule on his way to becoming the first British astronaut to join the crew of the International Space Station (ISS)
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In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Photographers take pictures as Russia's Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft carrying the International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 46/47 crew of Britain's astronaut Tim Peake, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and US astronaut Tim Kopra blasts off from the launch pad at Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome
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In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Expedition 46-47 crewmembers ESA astronaut Tim Peake, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and commander Yuri Malenchenko launch into space from Baikonur cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan
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In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space The Russian rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in front of the world's media following weeks of preparation
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In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space The Russian rocket minutes before launch
In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Tim Peake, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), waves to his children from a bus prior the launch of Soyuz TMA-19M space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space US astronaut Tim Kopra waves as he boards the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome, prior to blasting off to the International Space Station (ISS)
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In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space Britain's astronaut Tim Peake (bottom), Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (top) and US astronaut Tim Kopra board the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome, prior to blasting off to the International Space Station (ISS)
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In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space British astronaut Tim Peake, member of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS), during inspecting his space suit prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
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In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space British astronaut Tim Peake, left, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, center, and U.S. astronaut Tim Kopra, members of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), walk to report to members of the State Committee prior to the launch of Soyuz TMA-19M space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
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In pictures: Tim Peake goes into space From left, British astronaut Tim Peake, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and U.S. astronaut Tim Kopra, members of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS), wave to their relatives near a bus prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
AP
The pensioner explained that she had no idea what had happened until her husband Patrick, 84, saw the story on the news a few days later.
British astronaut Tim Peake had previously tweeted an apology for calling the wrong number from the International Space Station, assuring Mrs Barker it wasn’t a prank call.
A former major in the Army, he is employed by the European Space Agency and is the first Briton to join the ISS crew.
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