On his stay since December of last year, Peake had the opportunity to conduct various experiments in space, live in micro-gravity, and he even went on a spacewalk.
Image Credit: ESA
Although his efforts have been a great help to all collaborative nations working together on the International Space Station to learn more about how outer space works, all good things must eventually come to an end…
Peake, who spent 186 days on the International Space Station, is scheduled to return to Earth this weekend via a Soyuz spacecraft, where he will land in Kazakhstan along with NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko.
The spacecraft will be landed carefully on dry land with nothing more than rockets and parachutes, which help to slow the fall right before the spacecraft reaches the ground. The descent speeds into Earth's atmosphere will reach as much as 17,000 miles per hour before slowing down to a safe landing speed.
The departure will take place on Saturday at 3:15 A.M. BST and NASA is going to be live-streaming the departure on NASA TV, which we've included for you below:
Of course, Peake had a ton of fun on the International Space Station, but he has been missing his life on Earth, so returning will be a breath of fresh air for him.
“It goes without saying that I'm most looking forward to seeing my family but also enjoying planet Earth,” Peake said. “I love the outdoors and having lived on the space station for six months I am looking forward to some fresh air and getting outdoors.”
There will be a moment of short staff on the International Space Station when the three space men take the plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere. Only NASA’s Jeff Williams and Russia’s Oleg Skripochka and Alexy Ovchinin will remain on the International Space Station for a good three weeks before another crew blasts off from Earth to replace the three space men who are returning home.
Heading to the International Space Station three weeks after Peake’s return to Earth will be NASA's Kate Rubin, JAXA's Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos' Anatoly Ivanishin.
Peake is expected to be a couple inches taller than his normal self due to the effects of space's microgravity on the spine. After a couple of weeks, Peake should once again feel like his normal self, although it will take a few months to regain bone density.
Source: DailyMail