Summary
Much of an astronaut’s leisure time is spent staring back at Earth, they just can’t stop looking back at home. Major Tim Peake journeys into the misunderstood phenomenon of homesickness.
Tim had never experienced it until he found himself looking through the copula window of the space craft, which orbited earth several times before reaching the International Space Station. The British astronaut spent 185 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes in space and during that time, developed a deep longing for home, particularly fresh air, nature and the colour green.
But what is this powerful desire for home? Is homesickness a psychological illness? A cultural phenomenon? Or something else? Psychotherapist Sarah Temple-Smith who works for the Refugee Council believes the condition is widely misunderstood and its impact critically under-appreciated. She believes it’s a deep-rooted condition with existential consequences.
Speaking to those who suffer from it, and those who study it Tim attempts to understand exactly what homesickness is: how it manifests, what it feels like, and the psychological triggers that underpin it.
Produced by Kate Bissell and Gail Tolley Sound Design by Joel Cox Developed by BBC Scotland Productions Photo credited to Tim Peake/ESA
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This was an impregnable fortress. The only way you get out was in a wooden box. |
| 0:05.0 | The controversial maximum security prison impossible to escape from. |
| 0:09.0 | And one of the duties of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.0 | The IRA inmates who found a way. of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.5 | The IRA inmates who found a way. |
| 0:14.5 | I'm Carlo Gableer and I'll be navigating a path |
| 0:19.5 | through the disturbing inside story of the biggest jailbreak in British and Irish history. |
| 0:25.0 | The narrative that they want is that this is a big achievement by them. |
| 0:28.5 | Escape from the maze, listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:35.0 | BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.0 | BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts. |
| 0:39.0 | All right there, fellow podcast lovers. |
| 0:42.0 | This is seriously from BBC Radio 4 and I'm your |
| 0:46.3 | host Vanessa Casile. If you love unique documentaries this is the podcast for you. Each week you'll find two new episodes to discover. |
| 0:56.0 | Here comes something unusual, charming and seriously fascinating. |
| 1:02.0 | Engine at maximum... and seriously fascinating. I'm British astronaut. |
| 1:04.0 | I'm British astronaut Tim Peek and in 2015 |
| 1:09.0 | I was launched into space from Kazakhstan |
| 1:12.0 | to carry out a six-month mission on the International Space Station. |
| 1:15.0 | At the moment of launch, you're completely focused on the technical details, |
| 1:20.0 | what's happening with the rocket. With launch, you're completely focused on the technical details. |
| 1:23.7 | What's happening with the rocket? |
... |
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