Tim Peake: Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on her launch

Can you imagine how it feels sitting on top of a rocket - and 300 tonnes of fuel - about to blast off into space?

Tim Peake will find out when he launches on Tuesday, becoming the first Briton to venture to the International Space Station.

Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti told the BBC Horizon programme about her recent lift-off experience, which she described as, "an amazing moment of relief and release of tension".