'A cocktail of astonishing emotions'

French astronaut Sophie Adenot appeared before reporters on Saturday in Cologne, Germany, her first public appearance since her return to Earth from a mission on the International Space Station. Still occasionally in tears, she described what the homecoming has felt like.

She told the press conference it is great to be back on Earth, but that the return also brings its share of challenges, especially physiological ones. From 400 km, she said, she could see "no divisions, no borders", just "a precious planet that we all share".

A record stay - and a first for France

Her ISS mission lasted 235 days in total, the longest uninterrupted orbital stay ever achieved by a European astronaut. During that time she also made spaceflight history for her country.

• •She became the first French female astronaut to venture outside the space station for a spacewalk.
• •She undertook three spacewalks, on August 18 and 25 and September 1.

A rough landing back on solid ground

Thursday's Dragon capsule splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, carrying her Crew-12 team, was far from smooth, she told reporters. She described the descent as difficult, with the capsule enduring a lot of waves for 25 minutes.

The 44-year-old astronaut looked visibly weakened on her arrival in Germany and was assisted by two ESA physicians. Her first words to the commandos who pulled her from the capsule, she joked, were: "Send me back to space, please!" It was much easier up there.

What comes next: three weeks of recovery

Adenot must now begin an intensive recovery program of about three weeks to regain her pre-flight condition. The need for rehabilitation reflects how the body adapts to the absence of gravity in space, causing bone loss, muscle wasting, cardiovascular deconditioning and even visual problems.