Chinese astronaut who's just returned from space had life-changing realisation while looking down at planet

An astronaut who has just returned from space shared the profound effect looking back at the Earth had on him.

The Shenzhou 19 mission set off last year to the Tiangong Space Station (yes, there are other space stations besides the ISS) for a six-month mission to space.

The mission crew were supposed to come back yesterday (29 April), but high winds at the landing site led to a delay and instead the astronauts have made it back today (30 April).

Mission commander Cai Xuzhe had a message after spending six months in space and getting plenty of opportunities to look back at planet Earth.

"Got the flag set up? Good, bring them out." (Menghe Zhaolu/VCG via Getty Images)

He said: "In space, we gazed at the beautiful blue planet countless times. This is the common home for humanity and needs to be protected by all of us together."

The 'overview effect' explained

Cai's experience is likely to be an example of the 'overview effect', a significant change in mindset gained by seeing planet Earth from above.

It's something that happens to many astronauts who gain a new perspective on our planet by looking down upon it and seeing the place we all call home from afar.

The 'overview effect' is a cognitive shift which occurs for astronauts and has them coming back with a much greater concern for the issues facing our planet as a whole.

NASA astronaut Ron Garan described it thusly: "When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that seemed so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them.

"And I saw the unbelievable thinness of our planet's atmosphere. In that moment, I was hit with the sobering realisation that that paper-thin layer keeps every living thing on our planet alive.

The astronaut likely experienced the 'overview effect', which happens to many who go to space (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

"I saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life. I didn't see the economy. But since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as the wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it's obvious from the vantage point of space that we're living a lie."

It seems as though Cai Xuzhe's six months in space have had a similar impact.

Of course he was speaking to Chinese TV so he then followed that up with a message that sounds a bit more like propaganda, as the astronaut declared: "Especially, the vibrant red outside the space station's cabin wall, the brightest colour in space, filled me with pride for our great motherland.

"On this mission, I led two people born in the 1990s. With the crew united as one and the assistance of the ground staff, we successfully completed the task entrusted by our country and the people.

"In the future, we will continue to maintain a diligent attitude, scripting new chapters for China's space industry in the new era."