Splendid isolation: astronauts tell of wonders seen in orbit around Earth

FOR the lucky handful that throw off gravity's chains and fly into space, the moment when the Earth in its entirety floats into view generates a sense of incredible awe.

But to some, that magical moment comes with an intense sense of loneliness as the planet appears suspended in nothingness, in an infinite universe.

Yesterday the trials, tribulations and wonderment of going into space were related by four astronauts to delegates at the International Astronautical Congress in Glasgow.

Sergei Krikalev, Jean-François Clervoy, Chiaki Mukai and Yi So-yeon's collective experience stretches across 20 years of the international space programme and they now spend three days every month explaining their missions to outsiders.

Mr Clervoy said: "The planet is alive; you see hurricanes, you see volcanoes, thunderstorms, particularly when you travel over parts of the Earth which are in darkness. On my first mission, we flew over Germany during its night and you could see the clouds illuminated on the inside by lightning and propagating from masses of cloud to masses of cloud. The Earth is a living body and it is more powerful than humankind all together."

But he said that while seeing our home from afar was impressive, a real sense of perspective came from gazing out into the universe: "It gave you a real sense of loneliness, the Earth is alone in this immensity of black.

"But if you switched off the lights in the cockpit, then your eyes adjust and you start see stars and planets that you've never seen before."

Such an experience can change the way astronauts view life once they return.

Ms So-yeon, who returned from her mission in April, having become the first Korean to go into space, said: "I had never really thought about the world as something that we had been given for free.

"But once you see how beautiful and fragile it is, you start to realise that the air we breathe, the water we drink – I started to realise that we should be paying for it, doing something to justify our use of it."

Mr Clervoy agreed: "You realise whatever becomes of us, the Earth as a living geological body will survive."

Despite the 1960s' futuristic visions of protein pills and Star Trek-style control panels, day-to-day eating and cleaning on board a mission was likened as to being "similar to camping", though with less gravity. But Mr Clervoy said sleep was not an issue: "I slept as good as the best I've ever slept on Earth."

Other astronauts have described the difficulties of returning to Earth, with some finding it awkward to adjust and ending up with alcohol problems or depression.

Chiaki Mukai admitted it took time to come to terms with life back on Earth, saying: "Coming back was wonderful, but it was strange to watch everything around us stop floating. But I was so excited, because I had a sense of the weight of everything, even a piece of paper. I thought it was a new ability I had, but the body adapts itself quickly and it faded very soon."

But though all admit to having felt changed from their journey, as Mr Clervoy pointed out, it is still a job: "You still have a very strong sense of what you have done for about two or three weeks, then you're given tasks and projects and so it fades into memory and you need pictures to remind you and you say, 'Ah yes, I did this! It's so far behind.' It belongs more to science fiction than your own memory."

PROFILES

Sergei Krikalev, 50: A Russian cosmonaut and veteran of six space flights, having spent 803 days, nine hours and 39 minutes in space.

First went into space in 1988 when he went up to the Mir space station as a flight engineer. Most recent mission was to the International Space Station in 2005.

Jean-François Clervoy, 49: The French astronaut flew twice aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis and once aboard Discovery for a total of 675 hours in space, one of which was a Hubble Space Telescope repair mission.

Chiaki Mukai, 56: A Japanese doctor and a NASDA astronaut who first travelled into space aboard the American Space Shuttle in 1994, chalking up two missions during the 1990s and 566 hours in space. She is the first Japanese woman to fly in space, and the first Japanese citizen to fly twice.

Yi So-yeon, 30: Flying her first mission in April this year, Ms So-yeon was the first Korean to go into space. She flew as a guest of the Russian government through a commercial $20million agreement with South Korea.