Timothy Peake of Britain, Yuri Malenchenko of Russia and Timothy Kopra of the U.S., after landing. Credit: BBC

British astronaut, Tim Peake, has returned to Earth after a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). During his mission, Major Peake completed the first spacewalk by a UK astronaut and ran the London Marathon.

He, according to a BBC report, completed 2,976 orbits of Earth and covered a distance of roughly 125 million km. A Soyuz capsule carrying Major Peake, American Tim Kopra and Russian Yuri Malenchenko touched down in Kazakhstan at 10:15 BST on Saturday. Tim Peake described his journey back to Earth as “the best ride I’ve been on ever”

According to the report, “Our Tim. He’s back. Perspiring a little, but he looks in good shape.

Reporters shout questions. He answers.
“It was incredible. The best ride I’ve been on ever. Truly amazing. A life-changing experience.
“The smell on Earth is really strong.
“Looking forward to seeing the family.
“I’m going to miss the view, definitely.
“I’d like some cool rain right now; it’s very hot in the suit. It’s very hot in the capsule.”
And then he says he’d like a cold beer

So, what does Tim Peake face in the weeks ahead? For a start, he’s got to train his brain to understand that things have weight again. They don’t just hang in space anymore. A lot more effort is required to move things.

It’s a physical and a psychological challenge, according to French astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy.

Clervoy – who flew in space three times in the 1990s – told BBC News: “You feel very, very heavy… It takes about a month to feel back to normal.”

Credit: BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/science-environment-36544193