 Q. The ISS currently has a two-person crew. What is your opinion about that?
It is obviously not the way things should be, to have just two people on the International Space Station. I really look forward to the day when we will have three people back onboard the ISS. I also look forward very much to the space shuttle flying again, bringing visiting international crews to the space station, not only to construct it further, but also to allow the European and Japanese modules, like Kibo, to be attached, too. Then, when we will be able to have possibly six people on board the space station, it will be more truly representative at any one time of a lot of different nations, maybe three or four at one time, I hope. And that will be a very interesting period of International Space Station history.
Q. How did you spend your spare time in space?
When I was not busy doing something, my greatest hobby was to look out the window. But not only to look at the Earth in a picturesque sense, just admiring the view like you would on top of a mountain, because I had flown before, for quite a long time. This time I said to myself, I want to learn about the countries over which I am flying. So, I put a map and a computer encyclopedia next to me. As I would go over these small countries in Africa, for example, rather than just say, "Oh that's Burundi!" and not think any more about it, I would look up in the encyclopedia about Burundi, and learn about its political system, some of its terrible history, and about the trouble there. When I would go over Japan, I would look at it and say, "Oh, there's Tokyo. It's so huge!" Then I would look up facts about Japan, its economy and the people living below me. So I would try and learn geography in my spare time by looking out the window.
At the same time as I was looking, I would take pictures. I took about 4,000, looking towards the horizon in a series of snapshots, so I could relive this journey, this geographical journey over the planet. And I am very excited. My pictures are good. They need to be processed, and I want to make them into a series of panoramic views of the Earth as you fly forwards. This is something that isn't normally done by our space projects. They're more interested in zooming in on a city or on a lake. So I'm trying to capture it from a geographical point of view. This was my hobby.
Q. What is the most attractive aspect of the International Space Station project for you?
It is literally meeting people, other than just Americans in an American program. We can do wonderful things in space, but it is richer and more valuable to me if I am learning about other people's cultures.
This started with my first experience on the space station Mir [where I lived for 145 days]. I had never expected this, but I learned the Russian language, and actually became good at it, and learned about a different culture. And now, as I have gone into the International Space Station project, I have been meeting European astronauts, learning about all the nations that make up Europe. I have met Japanese astronauts. I have even met Chinese astronauts. That is what I have taken most out of the international part of the program: international friends.
Q. You have stayed in space for 374 days in total, and are now the U.S. record holder for the longest time spent in space. What is the secret of staying in space for such a long time?
I still think it's the views. It's always what I see out the window that is the most exciting thing for me. And the space walk. You put on a space suit and a helmet that's all around your face, and you go outside of the station. And now the only thing between you, your face, and space and the view, is Plexiglas - and it's clear. That gives you such a tremendously bright and vivid view. And it's disorienting. It is different from the view from within the space station looking out through a window. The window is much thicker, and it absorbs more light. So going outside during a space walk is really a tremendous experience.
Also, when you are on the night side of the Earth, the night side of the orbit, you can see the whole galaxy stretched out before you with a big bulge where the centre of the galaxy is, towards Sagittarius. It's also tremendous to see the wild fires and artificial lights on Earth, which is otherwise like a huge black disk blocking out the rest of the stars. These are incredible views. They would fire me up with enthusiasm and interest to keep me going through the long flight. These, and my hobbies.
So it is not hard. As long as you stay busy, half a year in space at any one time is not hard.
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