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\nWhat\u2019s the first thing you do when you arrive safely back on Earth after six months in space? ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet makes a quick call to loved ones with a satellite phone upon landing in the Kazakh steppe on 2 June 2017.\n<\/p>\n
\nAlong with cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, he landed at 14:10 GMT after a routine four-hour journey from the International Space Station. Fellow astronaut Peggy Whitson of NASA, who launched with Thomas and Oleg in December, did not return with the duo because her mission was extended.\n<\/p>\n
\nLike all returning astronauts, Thomas\u2019s vital signs were immediately checked by medical staff at the landing site. Per tradition, Oleg and Thomas then signed their Soyuz landing capsule before leaving the site. The crew were welcomed by the Kazakh government in an official ceremony.\n<\/p>\n
\nThomas then boarded a plane to ESA\u2019s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, for debriefing and more in-depth tests to understand how his body is adapting to being back on Earth.\n<\/p>\n
\nDuring his six-month Proxima mission, Thomas took part in over 60 scientific experiments for ESA and France\u2019s space agency CNES and the international Station partners. The mission is part of ESA\u2019s vision to use Earth-orbiting spacecraft as a place to live and work for the benefit of European society while using the experience to prepare for future voyages of exploration further into the Solar System.\n<\/p>\n