André exercises on the treadmill (Credit: ESA/NASA)

André exercises on the treadmill (Credit: ESA/NASA)

With the end of his PromISSe mission to the International Space Station rapidly approaching, ESA astronaut André Kuipers is starting to prepare for his return to Earth.

André writes: “Just three more weeks. I am counting down to my return. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I want to go home and see my family and friends. On the other hand I do not want to leave because I know I will never return to space. I have accepted that I will not be able to do everything that I had planned for this mission. I will not be able to take a daytime picture of The Netherlands without any clouds for example. It will not be possible as the Space Station’s orbit is not optimal for taking pictures of The Netherlands in the coming weeks.”

Read more in André blog: ‘More exercise because my return is near’