Down to Earth

Slightly more than a year ago, Major Tim Peake blasted off to spend half a year aboard the International Space Station. Now, several months after his return to Earth, he chats with us about his experiences in space.

Astronaut Tim Peake became a national hero on 15 December 2015 when he headed off into space for a six-month visit to the International Space Station (ISS). For years, the UK government had been staunchly against contributing money, and therefore astronauts, to the European Space Agency (ESA).

Peake’s six months aboard the ISS were an unqualified success in every sense. He performed extraordinary science and inspired millions of people, young and old, through his tweets, photos and videos. Now that he’s back on Earth, spreading the message that human spaceflight is a good thing for the UK is top of his priorities.

How did you find returning to Earth?

There’s definitely an adjustment period. I almost see it as two: a short-term adjustment and then a longer-term adjustment. The shorter term is obvious because when you first stand on Earth, your vestibular [balance] system is in overdrive and it’s quite obvious that your body has got some serious adjusting to do. Any head movement from side to side feels very disconcerting, and so does standing up or sitting down. When you walk you have your legs a little bit wider apart and you are very careful not to turn your head as you are walking. But that goes in about two to three days. It’s remarkable to watch your body progress. After two to three days everything is pretty much normal. You can balance, and walking starts to be okay. I was in the gym on the running machine and lifting weights three days after getting back, and was feeling pretty okay.

Then you’re into the second phase, which is more gradual. Even now, three months on, I still don’t feel at the peak fitness I was before the mission. I think that’ll take another couple of months.

What was one of the first things you noticed on returning to Earth?