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British astronaut dials wrong number from space

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015 file photo, British astronaut Tim Peake, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures prior the launch of Soyuz TMA-19M space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Anyone can dial a wrong number, but it’s not often done from outer space. Peake tweeted an apology on Christmas Day from the International Space Station after calling a wrong number. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File)

Credit: Dmitry Lovetsky / AP

Credit: Dmitry Lovetsky / AP

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015 file photo, British astronaut Tim Peake, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), gestures prior the launch of Soyuz TMA-19M space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Anyone can dial a wrong number, but it’s not often done from outer space. Peake tweeted an apology on Christmas Day from the International Space Station after calling a wrong number. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File)
By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Dec 25, 2015

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It's usually "Earth to Mars" calls that get placed, but recently it was the other way around.

British astronaut Tim Peake, the first British European Space Agency astronaut, phoned home on Thursday to wish someone a Merry Christmas but dialed a wrong number.

Explore>> 2015 Year in Review: Stories about space

He sent out an apology on Twitter, saying, "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!"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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