Confessions of an Astronaut #2

What strikes you powerfully when you return to earth?
"Smell; smell is the most powerful. Also wind and snow. We landed in a snowstorm. I was so happy to feel the touch of frost. When I breathed I blew out steam. It delighted me like a small child. Everything surprises."

What does it feel like to experience gravity again when you are reentering the earth's atmosphere?
"On the journey back to earth," Genady tells us, " two books were resting against my chest - instruction manuals. They got heavier and heavier, as if they were crushing me. When the hatch was opened and my belt was unfastened, I could not get out of my seat. It was like I was pressed down to it."

Does the imagery of your dreams change in space?
"I dream that I am on earth, lots of ground dreams. But the strangest sensation is waking up. I sleep in sleeping bag but have no contact with the bag's frame - I'm suspended in space. When I wake up, if I think I was lying on my back, I feel muscle tension in my back. If I sleep on my side I will feel tension in my side."

COLORS 45

Confessions of an Astronaut #1

For me, the most powerful, unique and memorable feeling in space flight is the physical freedom of weightlessness, which is an utter delight. My favourite recreational activity in orbit was just to float freely and let every muscle in my body become totally relaxed, so much so that I often lost the sensation of having any body at all. I see the experience as more than just physical: it has psychological, emotional and even spiritual dimensions. Have you ever dreamed of flying? In space you can do it! Weightlessness gives you a wonderful sense of freedom, an ability to do outrageous things barely imaginable back on Earth. The joy of weightlessness is one of the main reasons I believe that humanity has a future in space.
space.newscientist.com