magnificent, and you could clearly
see the curvature of the earth form
100Km up”.
Was it always the plan that you
would only fly one mission I asked,
and if so why?.
“Yes, because this was a
commercial mission, it was, from
the outset a one off. Money and
support meant that it could not be
anything else. Our own government
were not interested in funding us
and only the money raised by our
industrial sponsors, could have
financed such a trip, so in response
to your question it was only ever
going to be a one off mission”.
Soon Helen began to explain
how only after 8 days you do begin
to miss your family and friends
and told of how she felt for her
colleagues who had been up there
for 6 month’s already. Studies have
actually shown that the optimum
time to spend in space is 3 months
and it is important that the right
type of person is chosen for long
duration missions such as those that
may one day take us to mars.
By now though the mission was
complete and preparations were
underway for a hand over of the
station to the two crew members
with whom Helen had arrived
and the return of Helen and the
departing crew.
During the launch phase of the
mission Helen had experienced
3.5 G or 3.5 times the gravity of
earth but on re-entry she would
experience 4.5 G. The re-entry
fortunately, went as planned and
although they drifted just off the
landing zone, they nevertheless
made a flawless landing in northern
Kazakhstan. When the rescue team
arrived, the capsule was rolled over
and the hatch opened up. The
inrush of air felt good and once
the crew had been hauled out of
the craft Helen was in for another
surprise. The crewman who had
just spent 6 months in orbit just
stood up and walked around as if
he had never been in space at all
something Helen commented on as
“Being hard to believe”.
The mission was finally over and
Helens closing comments were
Helen Sharman with Tim Mace, her backup from the United Kingdom.
“Well, that’s that. It was a job and I
was lucky enough to do it, I was just
in the right place at the right time”
I finished our latest meeting by
asking Helen if she though ISS was
viable
“Certainly, but only with the joint
co-operation of other countries
and their involvement with the
International Space Station project.
Mir was an important space
platform ISS even more so, I only
hope that the certain partners
don’t try to take everything over.
Space is for the benefit of us all not
just a select few”.
Today,. Helen is someone of a
reclusive person, preferring privacy
to a life of the thrust of fame which
it has to be said her choice. She is,
and always will be the fitst Briton in
space, and she is from my home
city, so I have more than one reason
to be proud of her.
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