Tim Peake has spoken about how exciting his journey back to Earth was – and said that he wants to get straight back into space.
At his first press conference since leaving the International Space Station (ISS) and landing in Kazakhstan, Major Peake said that he was “feeling fantastic” but was looking forward to getting back to exploring space and would return in a "heartbeat".
Major Peake describes how his tiny Soyuz capsule “tumbled” back to the Earth and lit into sparks and flames during its way down. He then felt the strange sensation of “falling back to Earth” as he underwent the surging G-force that pushed him into his seat.
He also spoke of his "dream" of going to the Moon, his hope that the UK continues to fund manned space missions - and his relief at using a gravity-assisted Earth toilet at last.
The 44-year-old father-of-two returned to Earth from a six-month European Space Agency (Esa) mission on the ISS with American Nasa astronaut Colonel Tim Kopra and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko.
Their "descent module" - the only part of the three-section Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft to complete the journey - parachuted down on to a remote spot on the vast Kazakhstan steppe at 10.15am UK time on Saturday.
All three men are now undergoing an intense programme of rehabilitation and tests to help them re-adjust to Earth gravity and show scientists how their bodies have stood the strain of 186 days in space.
Major Peake spoke in a packed briefing room at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, where the Esa's astronaut activities are based.
He was treated to a standing ovation when he made his appearance as members of the audience clapped and cheered.
Additional reporting by Press Association
