Helen Sharman

“Is a one-way trip to Mars ever really seriously going to happen? Surely that's morally reprehensible. However old people are, however much they say they want to go on a one-way mission, people should be thinking about the possibility of returning.”

“The government will see that human spaceflight is useful - for science and the economy - and inspirational.”

“On Mir, the lights kept going out because it had developed so many electrical problems.”

“It's very exciting that people could actually live on another planet.”

“Just because I'm a woman does not mean I have to deal with everything to do with food.”

“I hope there will be continued U.K. investment in human spaceflight to enable Britain to benefit from space travel in the longer term and that many more Britons - women and men - will travel into space.”

“During launch, the outside of the rocket is covered in a protective fairing, so we couldn't see outside, but as soon as that was jettisoned, my first view of the earth was over the Pacific Ocean, which was this wonderful deep blue, with clouds just over the top, and sunlight streaming in through the window.”

“I would much rather fly on Soyuz than the shuttle.”

“People are fascinated by space flight. It makes them interested in science, gets them asking questions and motivates them.”

“While we've taken seeds into space, and astronauts on the International Space Station have eaten lettuce they've grown, we haven't produced fruit in space, so we can't pollinate something.”

“The view from space is really very special. From the window, you can look back at the Earth and see the stars around you. I just hope that more people from Britain get the chance to experience it.”

“You can do more science on the ground than you can in space for the same amount of money. But there is some science you can not do on the ground.”

“I don't classify myself as the first space tourist because I wasn't as though I paid and had a holiday out of it - although I had a fab time.”

“I'd love to go back to space, I don't know any astronaut who doesn't want to.”

“There is good science you can do in space. There is stuff there you cannot do on Earth and we can gain understanding from it.”

“You don't go into space just for the science. Economically, it is not worth it. I think the reason we should be in space is for the exploration; it's the human endeavour.”

“I still dream about being on the space station with the feeling of being weightless. The weightlessness is the most amazing, relaxing and natural feeling.”

“The advice I was given was just to make sure you look out of the window occasionally. It's something no astronaut ever gets tired of doing.”

“Britain should definitely be part of a Mars mission.”

“From space, the earth appears predominantly blue; the clouds are brilliant white. Surprisingly, you don't see much green, although Ireland looks green, and so do Scandinavia and New Zealand. The deserts are brick red and really stand out.”