We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 'All Human Emotion': French astronaut Sophie Adenot's first words since returning to Earth French astronaut Sophie Adenot said she experienced “the full range of human emotions, from the most joyful to the most difficult” during her eight months in space, speaking on Saturday at her first public appearance since returning to Earth, in Cologne, Germany. European Space Agency (ESA) French astronaut Sophie Adenot gestures as she returns to Europe, following the return of NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission to Earth after nearly eight months in space, in Cologne, Germany, October 10, 2026. © Thilo Schmuelgen, French astronaut Sophie Adenot went through "all human emotions, from the most joyful to the hardest" during her eight months in space, she said back on solid ground on Saturday in Germany. Adenot splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Thursday off the coast of California in the Dragon capsule that carried Crew-12, having returned to Earth from a mission on the International Space Station (ISS).
She had spent a total of 235 days in space, breaking the record for the longest uninterrupted orbital stay by a European astronaut. At 400 km away from Earth, Adenot could see there are "no divisions, no borders" but "just a precious planet that we all share," she said Saturday on the tarmac of the European Space Agency (ESA) training centre in Cologne, occasionally in tears. The 44-year-old astronaut looked visibly weakened on her arrival in Germany and was assisted by two ESA physicians.
In space, the body adapts to the absence of gravity, which leads to bone loss, muscle wasting, cardiovascular deconditioning and even visual problems. Adenot must now begin an intensive recovery program of about three weeks to regain her pre-flight condition. "It's a cocktail of astonishing emotions, it's incredible.
It's great to be back on Earth, but it also comes with its share of challenges, especially physiological ones," she told a press conference. She also described the "difficult" moment of Thursday's splashdown, when the capsule bringing back the four astronauts on her team had to endure "a lot of waves for 25 minutes". "And when the commandos pulled me out of the capsule, the first thing I said to them was, 'Send me back to space, please!' It was much easier up there," she added.
During the mission, Adenot became the first French female astronaut to venture outside the space station for a spacewalk. In all, she undertook three spacewalks on August 18 and 25, and September 1. The Interview## Exclusive: French astronaut Sophie Adenot recounts her ‘miracle’ mission from orbiting ISS 1. 1 ## Explosions heard in Saudi capital Riyadh after Houthis' deadly attacks on airports Middle East 2. 2 ## French government vows to boost teacher numbers in bid to ease school crisis As it happened France 3. 3 ## What France's student protesters want – and what the government is offering Explainer France Includes a video 2 min 4. 4 ## Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Canada’s Anne Carson Europe 5. 5 ## Senegal and Morocco set for AFCON title rematch – in Swiss sports court Africa 6. 6 ## El Nino set to intensify before peaking in December, UN warns Environment © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved.
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