ROME- Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, the first Italian women to travel into space, has returned to Earth after her 200-day stay on the International Space Station. Having bid farewell to her fellow colleagues, she and two others, American Terry Virts and Russian Anton Schkaplerov, began their journey back to Earth. 

  Cristoforetti set the record for the longest amount of time a woman has spent in Space, overtaking the previous record of 195 days set by American Sunita Williams back in 2007. She was the seventh European Space Agency astronaut to complete a long-duration mission in space, and consequently also set the record for the longest uninterrupted spaceflight by any European astronaut.

 Before taking flight, Cristoforetti tweeted that the "the 200th day in space began very early”, adding “it has been an exciting journey and thanks for the company! But now it is time to return home to Earth”.

 Prime Minister Matteo Renzi tweeted "we are very proud of you, Captain", whilst President Sergio Mattarella invited Samantha to the presidential palace to express the gratitude that both he and the nation feels towards her.

 Cristoforetti is undoubtedly a true inspiration to the whole nation, and moreover for potential women scientists in Italy, taking the significant step of being the first women to travel into space. Education Minister Stefania Giannini praised Samantha for giving "lustre to Italy" and tweeted her hope that the astronaut might be able to relive her stories in schools nationwide.

 This seems likely with Cristoforetti consistently capturing the attention of the Italian public with her noted efforts, whether through tweets, Facebook posts, or You Tube videos, to make her space explorations more accessible to all. Throughout her time in space, she kept the world entertained with snapshots into everyday life aboard the International Space Station, with particular sensations being her video explanations on how to workout in space and on how to cook up a Spanish tortilla.

 The journey took around 3 hours, with the astronauts landing in the Kazakh steppe and being welcomed back to Earth by the European Space Agency, keenly awaiting their arrival. The trio will now begin a process of rehabilitation after having spent 200 days being weightless. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield previously shared his surprise at feeling the weight of his tongue and lips when returning to Earth, having to even relearn how to talk properly after his time in Space.