Afronaut back to earth with a bump

South Africa's millionaire space tourist hopes to repeat his 'most extraordinary experience' despite nerve-jangling end to 10-day odyssey.

The world's second space tourist returned to earth safely early yesterday morning, his 10-day trip to the International Space Station ending in a huge cloud of dust as he touched down on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Mark Shuttleworth, 28, a South African internet millionaire, spent eight days on the ISS, a visit which lived up to its reported $20m (£14m) price tag.

"Every second will be imprinted and will be with me for the rest of my life," he said yesterday. "It was a most extraordinary experience."

Mr Shuttleworth said of the parachute landing that it had been "much more shaky coming down than going up".

He described how metal had begun melting on the outside of the capsule on account of the high speed of their descent. "It was a a little disturbing."

But he added: "The joy of looking out through the window and seeing fresh green grass, colourful flowers and the smiling faces of Kazakh children was unbelievable."

On board the ISS, Mr Shuttleworth had planned to carry out genetic experiments and research into HIV, an epidemic in his native country. But he also found time to enjoy his newly purchased fame, speaking via a video-link to the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, and receiving congratulations from former president Nelson Mandela.

The South African press have made Mr Shuttleworth a national hero and dubbed him the world's first "Afronaut". During the link-up, a 14-year-old South African girl and aspirant astronaut even asked Mr Shuttleworth to marry her. He gracefully declined.

Mr Shuttleworth's father Rick, who met him outside the capsule, said: "I am extremely proud but I am also glad to have him back. It was a wonderful feeling to see that parachute open. I was most impressed by the pick-up. It was very well organised."

His mother, Patronelle, also at Arkalyk, added: "It's quite tough as a parent, but I would imagine it is not your everyday family experience."

After eight months of intense training in Star City, Mr Shuttleworth's Soyuz "space taxi" had blasted off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on April 25. It docked with the ISS, currently manned by Russian commander Yuri Onufriyenko and US engineers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch, two days later.

Soyuz capsules are the ISS's "lifeboats" which have to be replaced every six months, Mr Shuttleworth's crew flying up in a new one and returning in an older one. On Thursday, the old Soyuz's engines were test-started for their descent, and at about 10.30pm on Saturday night, the crew began the well-rehearsed procedure of squeezing into their spacesuits and strapping into the tiny capsule.

The three-ton Soyuz becomes a fiery ball as it descends at 10 times the speed of sound, its outer wall reaching temperatures of 10,000C. Rockets and a parachute are used to slow the craft before touchdown, but the change in speeds and gravity affect the astronauts' legs. As a result, both Denis Tito - the 61 year-old American billionaire who went to the ISS as the first space tourist a year ago - and Mr Shuttleworth had to be lifted from their capsules after touchdown.

Mr Shuttleworth, who made $500m from an internet security firm he started in his parent's garage, now plans a holiday with his parents and a tour of South African schools to promote space studies. He said he still wanted to return to space if he could.

But he is not without souvenirs of his first flight to take back to South Africa: he has bought his spacesuit and the Soyuz capsule.