The first Briton to ever travel to space has had her intergalactic dreams animated in a beautiful hand-drawn short The Dreams of an Astronaut by London artist Andrew Khosravani.

Helen Sharman was selected for the space mission, live on TV, in 1989, after responding to a radio advertisement asking for applicants to become the first British astronaut. The mission was known as Project Juno, devised by the Soviet Union and Britain. Sharman was chosen for her extensive scientific background. One of her previous roles had been at Mars Incorporated dealing with the flavouring properties of chocolate.

The animation is a visual interpretation of an interview with Sharman as part of an online advent calendar ‘A Place Called Space’ for The Royal Institution, an organisation devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.

Each treat in the calendar will tie in with The Royal Institution’s famous CHRISTMAS LECTURES by Dr Kevin Fong, due to be broadcast on BBC Four over the festive period. Sharman’s interview recounts a dream about being back in space. She explains how it feels to look back at your home, what you see and what you miss. She says that initially you focus on the geography of Earth, but that it quickly becomes more personal. That you begin imagining the people and things close to you, that are back on Earth.

Each day, in the run up to Christmas, a new piece of content will be unveiled here, simply click on the box and enjoy your treat. The multimedia content will range from animations, illustrations, articles, video content and poetry, all exploring space travel as a human experience and analysing its role within our culture today.

You can see the advent calendar and more from the RI on their website.