8 Most Intriguing And Mystifying Disappearances In History

People go missing without a trace every day. Sometimes these people are found but sometimes they disappear completely. Where they went or what happened to them remains a mystery yet to be solved.  Most of the times, investigators will piece together evidence they find and then track the missing person down. If in the unfortunate event these people are found dead, the friends and family get some form of closure. But what happens when no traces can lead the investigators to these people and no one finds them ever? These are some of the most famous and bizarre disappearance cases in history.

1. Glenn Miller

Image Source: www.wikipedia.org

He was an American big band musician, composer, arranger and bandleader in the swing era. He was known as the best-selling recording artist from the year 1939 to 1943. On the day of his disappearance, Miller was flying from the United Kingdom to Paris, France, to play for soldiers. His plane departed from RAF Twinwood Farm, Clapham and disappeared while flying over the English Channel.  The theory that his plane was hit by a jettisoned bomb by the Allied planes returning from an aborted raid in Germany, was discredited by a plane-spotter log that implied that miller’s plane was headed in a direction that would avoid the zone where these bombs were jettisoned.(Source)

2. DB Cooper 

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

For more than 40 years, this case has baffled authorities. Dan Cooper boarded the Northwest Orient Flight 305, in 1971. He got into the plane and lit a cigarette. Then he passed a note to Florence Schafner, a flight attendant, written 'I HAVE A BOMB IN MY BRIEFCASE. I WILL USE IT IF NECESSARY. I WANT YOU TO SIT NEXT TO ME. YOU ARE BING (sic) HIJACKED.'

Cooper asked for $200,000 and four parachutes so that he could allow 36 of the passengers to leave the plane when it landed. The FBI agreed and the plane took off again and under Cooper’s orders, it was to fly to Mexico at an altitude of under 10,000 feet. Cooper jumped with a parachute strapped to his back somewhere over the lower Cascade Mountains found in Southwestern Washington. He has never been found.(source)

3. Ambrose Bierce 

Image Source: www.knowledgenuts.com

Ambroce Pierce was a famous American Writer and social critic. He is known for The Devils Dictionary and many other numerous short stories on ghosts and the civil war. He was a famous writer of The San Francisco Examiner where he got the nickname “Bitter Pierce”, for his relentless sarcasm and cynical opinions. He decided to go on a tour of South battlefields in 1913. 

He got to Mexico and spent time with Pancho Villa’s army during the Mexican Revolution. He disappeared somewhere near Chihuahua in Mexico, either in late 1913 or early 1914. No one ever found him even after investigations were done. He did leave an oft quoted passage though, in one of his final letters, reading “Good-bye — if you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags please know that I think that a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico—ah, that is euthanasia!” (source)

Also see: Before His Death, Lockheed Senior & Former Area 51 Scientist Claimed Aliens, UFOs exist. Pictures Shown As Proof [Video]

4. Judge Force Crater 

Image Source: en.wikipedia.org

The 41 year old judge disappeared while on a night out. On August 6th, crater left his office to share a meal with his friend William Klein and a showgirl, Sally Lou Ritz. They claim they last saw him walking outside the streets of the restaurant. News of his disappearance broke out on September 3rd and a manhunt ensued. Rampant speculation on his disappearance spawned due to the judge’s suspicious behavior days before he disappeared. His law clerk claimed that the judge had destroyed some documents on August 6th, moved some portfolios of papers to his apartment, and arranged for $5,000 to be withdrawn from his account. 

The phrase ‘pulling a carter’ was born as a synonym for going AWOL and he became known as the “missingest man in New York”. (source)

5. Malaysian Plane MH370 

Image Source: www.theweek.co.uk

On Saturday, 8th March 2014, the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared while traveling from Kuala Lumpur airport, Malaysia to Beijing and finally to the People’s Republic of China. What is known of the flight is that its transponder had manually been switched off and that it changed paths sharply. Passengers, crew and pilots didn’t send any distress call and no wreckage was found. The planes black box also went completely missing and there were many bizarre theories on what happened to the plane.  (source)

6. The missing village

Image Source: www.all-that-is-interesting.com

Reporter Emmett E. Kelleher, wrote the story on the Danville Bee on November 27, 1930. Kelleher had been regaled by the story of Joe Labelle, a northern trapper who told of an entire village of Inuit that went missing. Labelle says that he frequented the village of Inuit, on the shores of Lake Angikuni and expected a warm welcome as always. As he approached the village however, he got a creepy feeling. On entering the village, he found dogs that had starved to death but no one was in the village. When he entered the huts, he found cooking pots and utensils with food still in them. He also found a riffle that surprised him because the Inuit valued rifles and leaving such a tool behind was unheard of.  Authorities were notified but no one was ever found. (source)

Also see: Ancient Art Depicts Dinosaurs, Flying Aircrafts and Helicopters. Does It Mean They Existed?

7. Amelia Earhart 

Image Source: en.wikipedia.org

Amelia Earhart was a pilot with numerous records in aviation, in the 1920s. She set out in 1937 with her navigator Fred Noonan, for a flight around the world. This was to be her crowning achievement.  Earhart encountered some weather problems while near the end of her 29,000 mile journey, in the South Pacific. She could not find the Island she was meant to refuel at. All contact with her plane was lost around July 2nd and a search  for the two began. It covered 250,000 miles of ocean but not even the wreckage from Earhart’s Lockheed Electra was found. (source)

8. Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince 

Image source: www.makimono.es

Le Prince was an inventor. He was the first person to shoot a moving picture on paper using film and a single lens camera. He was heralded “the father of cinematography”. 

On September 1890, Le Prince was to go to the UK, to patent his new camera. This was to be followed by a trip to the US to promote the camera. He decided however to first visit friends and family at home. He took a train to Paris on 16th September but when the train arrived, he was not aboard. No luggage or corpse was ever found and no one had noticed any strange behavior on the Dijoin-Paris express.  Exhaustive searches were done but they couldn’t find him.(source)

Scientific Proof That Shows The Body Can Heal Itself

Lissa Rankin explores how the placebo effect has spiritual and scientific implications over us in this TEDtalk. She delves deeply into how our thoughts can powerfully affect our physiology. That if we believe we can get well, then we do.  The Placebo effect is solid evidence that the body has an innate self-repair system. 

Image Source: www.humansarefree.com

3,500 people diagnosed with incurable diseases like HIV, cancer, heart diseases, etc., participated in a study to test the placebo effect. Everyone’s illness disappeared without treatment!

In one of the cases Lisa discusses, a Mr. Wright was diagnosed with cancer and was given drugs he believed could cure him. Within days of taking the drugs, his tumors had shrunk to half their size.  A report was released two months later about the drug, saying it didn't work so well and Mr. Wright’s cancer was back. 

His sneaky doctor promised Mr. Wright that he had obtained a higher quality version of the same drug and injected him with distilled water. His tumors went away again because he believed they could. For another two months Mr. Wright was okay until the American Medical Association published a nationwide study that proved the drug was worthless. Two days later Mr. Wright died.

Lisa describes other countless times when people actually healed themselves with measurable proof on this TEDtalk. They heal their ulcers, grow back hair, shrink tumors and reduce all signs of illness! The mind initiates the healing and the body reacts. 



What are your thoughts? Do you believe that we hold the power to heal ourselves? Watch the video below and tell us your thoughts.

15 Rare And Unique Albino Animals

Albinism is caused by lack of enzymes in melanin that leads to pigment deficiency. The recessive gene that is mostly inherited, affects all vertebrates. The condition makes it hard especially for wild animals to survive, since it makes them an easy target for predators. The animals also lack protection from hazardous ultraviolet sun rays, have very sensitive eyes and are susceptible to skin cancer. Despite this lack of pigmentation though, the animals are just as adorable as any other animal. Here is a list of 15 of these rare and adorable animals.

1. Alligator

Image Source: www.youtube.com

The pale skin and piercing blue eyes makes this rare alligator stand out. The alligator has a “little bit of pigmentation around the mouth and a little touch on the tail and they have piercing blue eyes." (source)

2. Penguin 

Image Source: www.nationalgeographic.com

The rare white Albino penguin was spotted by tourists in Antarctica. The penguin has a mutation that dilutes its feather pigments. According to penguin experts, the penguin appeared to have a condition called Isabellinism where pigment is diluted in penguin feathers. This results in the uniform lightening of the bird’s dark colors and turns the animal pale brown or grayish yellow. (source)

3. Hummingbird 

Image Source: www.naturefriendmagazine.com

The rare albino ruby throated hummingbird was photographed in Staunton, Virginia, on Aug. 16, 2011 by the older boys of Kevin and Bethany Shank. They run the Nature Friend Magazine. (source)

4. Eastern Screech Owl 

Image Source: www.tumblr.com

Albino owls have pink skin around their eyes which ranges from pink to dark cherry-red. Another indicator of albinism in owls is pink toes. (source)

5. Porcupine

Image Source: www.cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com

This is Blondie, the rare albino porcupine at the London Zoo. Albino porcupines have softer hair-like quills unlike the other porcupines that have sharper spines used to defend themselves. (source)

Also see: 10 Most Terrifying Creatures That Once Lived On The Earth

6. Raccoon

Image Source: www.knoxnews.com

According to some reports, only one in half a million raccoons are born without the pigment that gives them the distinctive black mask, stripe tail and fur markings. (source)

7. Squirrel

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Squirrels have a one in a 100,000 chance of being albinos. They have white hair, white skin and red eyes. They also have vision problems. Albino squirrels have a hard time in their habitat since their white color makes them lose their camouflage advantage and can easily be spotted by predators. (source)

8. Deer

Image Source: www.crazyhorsesghost.hubpages.com

An albino deer lacks the normal body pigment and has pink eyes. Based on deer hunter reports, only one deer in 30,000 is an albino. (source)

9. Snake

Image Source: www.strangezoo.com

Leucistic Texas Rat Snake is the beautiful white snake pictured above. It lacks pigmentation and is mostly found in Texas. (source)

Also see: 9 Bizarre Animals Created By Science.

10. Koala

Image Source: www.cutestpaw.com

This albino koala at the San Diego Zoo was named Onya Birri. This means “ghost boy” in the Australian Aboriginal language. (source)

11. Wallabies

Image Source: www.scribol.com

Albino wallabies have red eyes. Photo-sensitivity and susceptibility to skin cancer are some of the issues the wallabies face as a result of their skin pigmentation. (source)

12. Elephant

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

This rare elephant was spotted in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand. Albino elephants have a pink hue and are rarely completely white, since they have little fur. Their toenails and eyelashes are also fairer than that of other normal elephants. (source) 

13. Gorilla

Image Source: www.nationalgeographic.com/

Snowflake was famous for being the only known albino in his species. He lived in the Barcelona Zoo, Barcelona, Spain, until he died of skin cancer in 2003. Scientist sequenced his genome after his death and found out that his parents were closely related and this may have led to his lack of color pigments on his skin and hair. (source)

14. Cats

Image Source: www.catster.com

Not all white cats are albinos. You can spot the difference especially in the eyes. White cats have a range of colors on their eyes but albino cats have a pale blue eye that may appear pinkish blue or pinkish. The skin of the albino cat also lacks pigmentation. (source)

Also see: 10 Most Unbelievable Hybrid Animals

15. Whale

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

This is Migaloo, a whale that had created quite a sensation after it was first spotted in 1991, on the coast of New South Wales. Whale watchers and tourists followed him on boats every day, just to catch a glimpse of him. (source)

Modern Labrador Retrievers Can Trace Their Ancestry To The Buccleuch Avon

In the 1830s, one of the first people to import dogs on estates in the Scottish borders from Newfoundland, was Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, the 5th Duke of Buccleuch. He used them as gundogs because they were excellent at retrieving. These Labrador retrievers, as they are known today, had another advocate, the 2nd Earl of Malmesburry, who bred them for duck shooting purposes. He bred them on his estate in Heron Court, South Coast, because of their expertise in water fowling, a tail ‘like an otter’ and their close coat that turned water off like oil.

A surviving picture of Buccleuch Avon (b. 1885). Image Source: www.wikimedia.org/

During the early 1880s, the 3rd Earl of Malmesbury and the 6th Duke of Buccleuch met at a shooting party. Lord Malmesbury gifted the first two entries in the Stud Book of the Duke of Buccleuch Labrador Retrievers, to the 6th Duke. These two dogs were mated with bitches that were carrying blood from those imported originally by the 5th Duke. The breeding developed a strong bloodline that begun with Buccleuch Ned in 1882 and in 1885, the Buccleuch Avon. 

All Buccleuch Labradors trace back to the first imported dogs. They eventually started maintaining a kennel of 30 to 40 dogs that had keepers responsible for training them. Lord George Scott, the youngest son of the 6th Duke, managed the breeding programme.

Also see: The Tale Unbound Loyalty- Hachikō, a Dog Who Waited for 9 Years for His Master's Return

The Buccleuch Labradors were bred for work purposes entirely at the time but their bloodline has led to the ancestry of many champions through the years. This includes FTCh Flapper, the first Labrador that was ever placed at a retrieval trial in 1906. The traditional Buccleuch Labrador had a tender mouth, a good nose and an intelligent and courageous temperament. They often have shorter heads than an average Labrador; they have a thick double coat and normally have an ‘otter tail’. The pure strain only throws black puppies.

FTCh Flapper.    Image Source: www.photobucket.com

By the 1920s, the kennel had 150 dogs. The 7th Duke was however not keen on maintaining the line and they didn’t import any new dogs between 1890 and 1930. This was because of the Sheep Protection Act that was introduced in Newfoundland and other quarantine restrictions. The war started in 1938 and then a distemper epidemic hit in 1948 and this took toll on the kennel, which was substantially run down. The then Earl of Dalkeith, who later became the 9th Duke, together with  a full time dog handler made some progress at the time and made use of Vaulter, a dog that displayed most of the old characteristics; the broad head, short otter tail and thick double coat. Most of today’s Beccleuch Labradors can trace their ancestry to him.

Also see: Meet The Two-Legged Dog, Faith, Who Is An Honorary Sergeant In The U.S Army

After election of the 9th Duke to the House of Commons, the kennel responsibility moved to the head gamekeeper. The Buccleuch Kennel is in fact almost unique since the original pure strain has been strictly maintained since the 1830s, when the breed reached its shores. Litters have since been produced to meet mainly the needs of keepers across the Queensberry, Langholm, Bowhill and Boughton Estates. The 9th Duke was the Patron of Scotland’s Labrador Club since 1952. 

David Lisett was appointed as the dog trainer and handler by the then Earl of Dalkeith, who later became the 10th Duke, Richard Buccleuch. The breeding programme has since been re-introduced  at Queensberry and it caters for the maintenance and enhancement of the Buccleuch Labrador bloodline. They use the current Buccleuch stud dogs that have resulted in Dogs like the Buccleuch Opal who made Field Trial Champion in just 4 trials.
[source: www.drumlanrigcastle.co.uk]

18 Iconic Moments In History Captured In Rare Historical Photos

Photography is the best way to record history and even though you can always read about it in books, there's nothing like seeing it happen first hand. History books are for this reason packed with photos that show us some of the memorable moments recorded in history. They act like the window to our past and show us events that have continuously made us who we are. Below is a list of 18 rare and intriguing photos in history.

1. A foreskin away from death 

Image Source: www.tntech.edu

During the ethnic cleansing of minorities in Islamic Bangladesh, young Bengali men were forced to remove their Lungis (Sarongs) at checkpoints. This was done in front of the elderly and womenfolk so as to check whether they were circumcised and thus Muslim. (The Hindus were not circumcised). (source) 

2. The first performance by the Beatles in South England. 

Image Source: www.beatlesbible.com

The Beatles played at the Palais Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire in 1961. Only 18 people showed up for the rock ‘n’ roll show. One and a half years later, they became superstars.(source)

3. 1950’s all biker gang 

Image Source: www.flickr.com

The East Bay Dragons of Oakland, California was started in the 1950s as a car club. It was under the leadership of Tobie Gene Lavingston. He was an associate of Sony Barger and a founding member of the California Hells Angels. His main goal was to make sure his younger brothers and friends stayed out of trouble. In 1959 the club switched to Harleys and Choppers and went on to become an ‘outlaw’ motorcycle club. (source)

4. Fidel Castro and Che Guevara fishing in 1960

Image Source: www.all-that-is-interesting.com

The two Latin American Leaders, Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, took their time to fish soon after coming to power in 1960. (source)

5. Disneyland Backstage cafeteria, 1961. 

Image Source: www.photobucket.com

This picture was shot at the Disneyland backstage cafeteria, in 1961. (source)

Also see: Fascinating Photos Show An Interesting Side Of History You Didn't Know About

6. Drive in Theater in Utah, 1958 

Image Source: www.life.time.com

A classic shot of a drive-in theater showing “The Ten Commandments”, with Charles Heston as Moses. (source)

7. "Swimmobiles"

Image Source: www.nycgovparks.org

In 1960s, the Hecksher administration started the “swimmobiles”. They took pools meant for undeserved neighborhoods to the streets. The pools were attached to tracks and parked on the streets all day, then conveniently towed away at night.(source)

8. A hard disk in 1956 

Image Source: www.snopes.com

In September 1956, the 305 RAMAC was launched by IBM. This was the first computer to have a hard disk drive (HDD). It weighed over a ton and could store 5MB data. (source)

9. Coca cola in France

Image Source: www.field-of-fire.com

When Coca-Cola was finally granted its license by the French government in 1950. (source)

10. An Opium den in Singapore, 1941

Image Source: www.rarehistoricalphotos.com

In the photo, Opium smokers in Singapore can be seen relaxing in a sparsely furnished opium den. This suggests that the clientele was mostly working class. The dens were a place where you would do opium, hangout then do more opium. The social impact was damaging and some addicts sold their possessions to feed the habit. Most of the men ended up becoming homeless due to the addiction. (source)

Also see: This Is An Actual Photograph Of A Man Born In 1755

11. Princeton sophomores after a brutal snowball fight, 1893. 

Image Source: www.twentytwowords.com

This unhappy photograph taken in 1983, shows three members of Princeton showing off their battered faces. This is after they participated in the traditional yearly freshman/ sophomore snowball fight. They must have added some unsafe ingredients to their snowball recipe that year. (source)

12. The unbroken seal on King Tutankhamun’s tomb, 1922 

Image Source: www.rarehistoricalphotos.com

This was actually a seal to King Tut’s fifth shrine. He was buried in a series of four sarcophangi that were kept inside a series of five shrines. This is the seal to the fifth shrine hence not a room at all. The seal remained untouched for 3,245 years. (source)

13. 1928: Rooftop Racetrack 

Image Source: www.viralfact.com

The Lingoto Building is in Nia Vizza, Turin, Italy. It once housed an automobile factory that was built by Fiat. Its construction started in 1916 and by 1923, the building was opened. Matté Trucco was the young architect who designed it. It had five floors, where raw materials went in at the ground floor and cars were built on a line that went up through the building. Finished cars would emerge at the rooftop level to get to the test track. (source)

14. 1928 MGM screen credits 

Image Source:www.historicalphotosdaily.blogspot.com

Filming of the MGM screen credits in 1928- this was the beginning of the Hollywood era. (source)

15. Test pilot George Aird ejected from his English Electric Lightning F1 aircraft.

Image Source: www.rafjever.org

Test pilot George Aird was flying the English Electric Lightning F1 aircraft, in Hertfordshire on 13th September, 1962. He was making an emergency landing following a double reheat fire warning that had occurred 15 miles North East of Hatfield. At about 100 ft, 10 seconds from touchdown, the aircraft pitched nose up suddenly. There was no response from controls and he ejected the plane which crashed on the airfield and caught fire. George landed in a greenhouse and sustained several fractures.(source)

Also see: Incan Girl Who Had Been Frozen For 500 Years

16. Moving a 7600 ton apartment building to create a boulevard in Alba Iulia, Romania, 1987

Image source: www.reddit.com

This happened in the early spring of 1987. They had a tough choice given that they had to rework the infrastructure and make way for the boulevard. They decided to move the building 55 meters(180ft) away but not before splitting it into two. Building which housed over 80 families.

The whole operation took 5 hours and 40 minutes and and the (now) 2 separate buildings were moved apart on a 33 degree inclined angle.(source)

17. Transporting 'The Apple', the first Indian satellite, 1981

Image courtesy: www.isro.org

This image became pretty famous as a metaphor as to how the high-tech Indian space program coexists with general impoverishment. The reality was quite different. Contrary to the general belief that India’s didn’t have trucks in 1980s, this is a classic example of the supposedly unique Indian concept of Jugaad. The day when the photo was taken they were taking the satellite out for an antenna-range test. With a basic understanding of physics, it is well-known that testing an antenna by placing it, in the bed of a truck isn’t the best since the truck is metallic. The simplest work-around was to use a wooden bullock cart.(www.reddit.com)

18. Audrey Hepburn shopping with her pet deer “Ip” in Beverly Hills, CA, 1958.

Image source: www.anothermag.com

When the British actress was making her 1959 film Green Mansions, directed by then-husband Mel Ferrer, the animal trainer on the set suggested that she take her on-screen sidekick, a baby deer, home with her so that he would learn to follow her. Audrey's inner calmness was perfect, and the deer thought she was her mother. Nicknamed 'Ip', the deer would cuddle Audrey and accompany her to the supermarket in Beverley Hills.(source)

What Life Is Really Like In Space According To Astronaut Marsha Ivins

Marsha Ivins says that Earth’s view from space is incredible.  “It’s breathtaking. It’s surreal. It’s a “we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto” kind of feeling.” But  55 days in space on five NASA missions, has taught her that it’s not just about the breathtaking moments, “It’s a mix of the transcendentally magical and the deeply prosaic.”. Sometimes its noisy, crowded and uncomfortable- it’s nothing glamorous but the view from up there is unbeatable!

Image Source: www.wired.com/

For the two hours after the astronauts climb the shuttle, most of them take naps. They are strapped in like a sack of potatoes as the system goes through prelaunch checks. Occasionally, they have to wake up and say “loud and clear” or “Roger” but there’s really nothing to be worried or nervous about. The launch itself however is a whole other thing- “from the pad to orbit in 8.5 minutes, accelerating the entire time until you reach the orbital velocity of 17,500 mph. That is a ride.”

When in orbit, there is no gravity so the body fluids move towards your head. Your stomach goes flat and you get a great face lift. You tend to grow a foot or two and you feel long. “I thought, “Oh cool, I’ll be tall,” but of course everybody else was taller too.” It does have some disadvantages however; an enormous headache starts when the fluid shifts north and the body compensates by losing a liter of fluid during the first couple of days. 

“You essentially pee the headache away. And a lot of people get nauseated. The way to feel better is to “lose up,” to convince your visual system that “up” is wherever you point your head and “down” is where your feet are.” You start getting adapted to Zero-g if you can do that and either go headfirst or earlobe first. Your body adapts on each flight but it may take a few days for your stomach to finally settle down.

Astronaut Marsha Ivins on her fifth mission on board the space shuttle Atlantis in 2001. Image Source :www.wired.com

Food can taste a little different on space. “I’d bring great chocolate with me and it would taste like wax—it was very disappointing,” she says. They cannot cook on the ISS or shuttle and therefore they either carry vacuum-packed food, free-dried food or Thermo-stabilized food. They add water to the food and warm it up in the oven.  Since there is no refrigerator on board, the fresh food goes bad fast and they make sure they eat anything fresh like fruits; oranges, apples and grapefruits, during the early days of the mission.

The strangest experience while in space is sleeping. It’s so easy to sleep on earth but in space, they strap their sleeping bags to the wall, floor or ceiling or anywhere and get in- just like camping. 

“The bag has armholes, so you stick your arms through, reaching outside the bag to zip it up. You tighten the Velcro straps around you to make you feel like you’re tucked in. Then you strap your head to the pillow—a block of foam—with another Velcro strap, to allow your neck to relax. If you don’t tuck your arms into the bag, they drift out in front of you. Sometimes you wake up in the morning to see an arm floating in front of your face and think, “Whoa! What is that?” until you realize it’s yours.”  

During most of her flights, she slept in the shuttle’s middeck. Nobody was working there when they were not doing an extra-vehicular activity (EVA), and it was like her own private bedroom. But it was the coldest part of the shuttle by around 20 degrees. She would wear four layers of clothes and tuck her arms into the bag. On some occasions, she would warm up a package of food and throw it into the sleeping bag like a hot water bottle.

“On the last two nights of my final flight, I slept on the flight deck, my sleeping bag strapped beneath the overhead windows. The position of the shuttle put Earth in those windows, so when I woke up the whole world was out there in front of me—in that moment, just for me alone.”
 
Shuttle flights are always busy because they have to carry out daily maintenance, experiments, robotic operations and EVAs. It’s a lot of hard work and can get stressful and scary in its own way. If you screw up, people all over the world are watching. But she also found it relaxing. When on earth, one is never out of touch. You can be reached at all times but while in space you get out of reach. You can communicate via email but there are no everyday worries like whether you fed the dog or paid the bills.

“I felt like everyday things just stopped at the edge of the atmosphere. I was totally liberated from Earth. But all those earthly concerns reattached as soon as we re-entered. By the time I landed, my brain was mapping out a to-do list.”
 
When you return to earth, the inner ear that keeps you balanced on earth becomes a little sensitive due to gravity. It’s been turned off during the trip to space and you have to learn how to move in a gravity field because your balance is off. Muscles that have been dormant for weeks also have to reengage so that you can do everyday stuff like stand, walk and hold things. Sometimes it takes days or even weeks to get the earth legs back. 

 “It was hard, it was exciting, it was scary, it was indescribable. And yes, I’d go back in a heartbeat,” She says.
[source: www.wired.com]