This tiny corner of North Yorkshire has produced two intrepid explorers. In 1728 James Cook was born at Marton in Cleveland and moved to Great Ayton as a very young boy, where he had his only formal schooling before setting off for Staithes and his amazing sea-faring career. Centuries later, Nicholas Patrick was born while his parents lived at Ingleby Manor. He went on to become an astronaut for NASA and in February 2010 he flew in the Spacecraft “Endeavour” to the Space Station. He carried with him a small photograph of his hero, James Cook, and also a small Colonial Red Ensign, the flag Cook sailed under on his famous voyages, which Nicholas’ father obtained from the Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum. Nicholas had previously flown on the Spaceship “Discovery”, named after another of Cook’s ships. While Cook circumnavigated the globe three times in the mid 1700s, in the short space of 24 days over two shuttle flights, Nicholas orbited almost 400 times.