What’s it like spending a year in space?
With the usual six-month stay you can kind of see the end and you think, “I launched in October and I’m coming back in March; I can envision getting there.” But when you launch in March and you’re thinking about coming back the next March, it’s not something you can really comprehend. I think the perfect duration is somewhere on the order of two-and-a-half to three months. When you get to [that stage] you think, “I’ve really been here for a long time.” To know that you have nine months to go is kind of hard to get your head around. As far as coming back, I was kind of surprised how I felt different physically than the last time with regards to muscle soreness and joint pain, and then there is the skin issue.