British Astronaut Describes His Time in Space
Dr Michael Foale Tells Suite101 About Fascination and Fear
One such boy was Louth-born Dr Michael Foale, the first British man to complete a spacewalk in both Russian and British suits.
But despite an obsession with rockets and space, being an astronaut was not his first career choice as he grew up on the Lincolnshire coast.
Dr Foale said: “My Dad was in the RAF so I found some fascination in planes but when I was younger I wanted to be an engine driver. Now though, I am driving the biggest engines in the world.”
Trained Astronauts Feel Nervous
After studying for a degree in astrophysics, Dr Foale did become an astronaut and after intensive training in Russia he took his first trip to the stars.
He said it does not matter how much training is completed, he still feels nervous about what could go wrong: “Because of these feelings we have a rule that nine minutes before take-off, no jokes are to be made.
“For the first eight minutes of the journey you are shaken from side-to-side, like a car when a tyre has been blown, but in a spaceship you can't stop.
“You are being pushed in the back with all the force and after another two minutes it eases. Then there is a huge thump and a flash of brilliant orange flame and everything goes quiet.”
As the engines then start, Dr Foale says the astronauts breathe shallow breaths or their lungs will burst. Then the engines cut out and they start floating: “Once again I have cheated death, I always say to myself,” he reflected.
Involved in Space Collision
Dr Foale is a veteran of numerous space flights, including four months spent on board the Russian Space Station Mir in 1997 and a mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope in 1999.
The trip to Mir has been the most memorable for Dr Foale as the Space Station collided with space debris which caused power failure.
The team had to wait for the station to orbit and get them into the sunlight in order for them to survive.Dr Foale said: “When in space, you look out at the stars which are all different colours from space.
“I used to do this a lot on Mir after the collision – it was a terrifying moment but so moving. The station was getting colder and colder because we were the wrong side of the moon and waiting for use to come back into the sun light was indescribable.”
The crew had to combat problems with carbon dioxide as there was no oxygen pumping around the station and people were getting ill.
Spacemen Undergo Tough Exercise Regimes
He added: “We really pulled together and we got ourselves out of there.”
The experience has never caused Dr Foale to have second thoughts about his job and as he continues to complete constant training in Russia, he says it is the exercise regime that he finds the hardest thing.
He explained: “When you are in space you are weightless and lose a lot of muscle mass and strength as you are putting weight on your limbs. We have to make sure that we carry out one hour of exercise twice a day. But you get lazy, and don't do.”
Dr Foale said he has experienced first hand why it is so important to remain fit for space.
“After my first flight, I went to the hotel room in Florida and crashed out, “ he painfully remembers: “The adrenalin rush was beginning to fade, and I went to sleep.
“In the middle of the night I tried to move, but I was just lead. I couldn't raise an arm without it feeling as if I was hurling sacks of concrete around. I was scared, laying in the dark on my own, unable to move anywhere.”
Radio Contact With Family
Dr Foale had to undergo a number of swimming sessions to overcome the affects of the illness. But he admits the hardest aspect of space travel is leaving the family behind, especially his children: “My children are unique, and have grown-up with Daddy always going to a spaceship launch.
“They always expect presents from me when I get back, and it is nice that we can keep in contact via email and radio, even if it is only once a week.”
To all aspiring astronauts he said: “The most important part of an astronaut's training is to well at school.”
Jayne Elliott Chats with Dr Foale
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