By Sheena Adams and Sapa-AFP
Afronaut Mark Shuttleworth's takeoff might have been spectacular, but re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere was more exciting, watching "the flames and sparks and the molten metal".
While South Africans might not have been able to fly to the International Space Station along with the first African in space, they will be able to get an inkling of what space travel is like when Shuttleworth embarks on a nationwide schools roadshow next month.
His father, Dr Rick Shuttleworth, said his son had bought his spacesuit for the tour. He was also having a "mock-up" of the Soyuz capsule made - which is just as well, because the one he had flown in had been reduced to a "scorched piece of meat, a bad-looking braaivleis" during re-entry at 10 times the speed of sound and temperatures of up to 10 000°C.
"You could smell the smoke around it - it was very frightening," Dr Shuttleworth said.
Dr Shuttleworth, who watched from a helicopter as his son touched down safely on the Kazakh steppes early on Sunday morning after an exhausting four-hour re-entry, breathed a sigh of relief as a bright white-and-red parachute slowly brought the Soyuz capsule carrying his son to the ground.
"We knew that if that parachute didn't open, there would be problems. I didn't see it opening, but when I saw the bright white blob in the morning sky with a crescent moon nearby, I knew we were virtually home and dry.
"It was an impressive thing to see."
He said his son had been exhausted after the flight, but had had breath for a single "Wow" when his father went over to hug him after the successful landing.
Technicians were on hand to help the Internet billionaire and his fellow crew members, Russian flight commander Yuri Gidzenko and Italian engineer Roberto Vittori, climb from the module onto the sun-drenched grass near the town of Arkalyk.
From there it was a three-hour flight to the Kazakh town of Astana, and then another three-hour flight to Star City, outside Moscow, where Shuttleworth's mother Ronelle and brother Bradley were waiting.
"He was like a little kid who had just come back from boarding school, running into all the different rooms and talking to his friends. He had a sparkle in his eye," Dr Shuttleworth said.
Shuttleworth said after his landing that while the sky was black in space, the colours "reversed" as the capsule entered the top part of the atmosphere.
"We had this incredible red glow, like a Martian sky, but still the sense of a blue atmosphere, and then it turned a milky white colour because of the angle of the sun and the Earth - these extreme colours.
"The landing was the most exciting part of the experience. It was more exciting than the launch, because there we were closed off and we couldn't see out of the rocket.
"But on the landing we could see the flames and sparks, and the molten metal."
He said the crew could also see "mountains and rivers racing by incredibly quickly".
Dr Shuttleworth said his son had been astounded by how green everything looked on his return when, 10 days and a season earlier, the surroundings had been dull and brown.
"It was a lovely sunshine day. Moscow certainly welcomed him with warm, open arms," he said.
The family and friends of the three cosmonauts held a small party on Sunday night at Star City, and enjoyed sundowners together while the cosmonauts relaxed in their private quarters.
A press conference with the three cosmonauts is expected to take place on Tuesday.
Dr Shuttleworth said his son was still very excited about his trip, and had had no problems walking properly or adjusting to the Earth's gravity.
"We are hoping Mark can join us in a few weeks for a short holiday in the British Isles," he said.
Dr Shuttleworth added that in all the excitement, no one had told Mark that his favourite soccer team, Chelsea, had lost the FA Cup final to Arsenal on Saturday.
"We've spoken about everything but soccer," he laughed, "but I'll be sure to pass on the news."