French astronaut Sophie Adenot speaks in Cologne after returning from space

French astronaut Sophie Adenot made her first public appearance on Saturday in Cologne, Germany, following her return from space, France 24 reported. France 24 said she described experiencing the full range of human emotions, from the most joyful to the most difficult, during her mission on board the International Space Station. [1]

Adenot returned to Earth on Thursday when her SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, France 24 and ABC7 San Francisco reported. Outlets gave slightly different totals for her time in orbit. France 24 reported that she spent 235 days in space, while Le Monde stated her stay lasted 237 days. ABC7 San Francisco noted that she returned alongside NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, as well as Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. [1][2][5]

Adenot was born on July 5, 1982, in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, France, and developed an interest in aviation and space exploration from a young age. As FTMQ News reported earlier, her mission set a record for the longest continuous stay in orbit by a European astronaut. During the Crew-12 mission, she also became the first French woman to perform a spacewalk, completing three spacewalks that totaled nearly 20 hours. [6][7][8]