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British astronaut Tim Peake today described how had to drink recycled urine while aboard the International Space Station.

Mr Peake said “yesterday’s pee is this morning’s coffee” but added it tastes “absolutely fine”.

The astronaut visited the Glasgow Science Centre today for a special event where he was welcomed by fans.

He revealed how he had listened to Queen, Coldplay and U2 to calm himself inside the rocket while waiting to blast off into space – before the traditional launch song of the Final Countdown by Europe.

Speaking of his six-month Principia mission into space, Mr Peake said he is always asked about toilet facilities on board, adding that 85 per cent of the astronauts’ urine is recycled.

He said: “The drinking water on the space station tastes great but it does go through a fairly rapid recycling process."

He also told of becoming the first UK astronaut to go on a spacewalk, saying one of the most memorable moments of his life was leaving the airlock and "dangling down over this black abyss".

Mr Peake also detailed the toll being in space takes on the human body, revealing it ages the cardiovascular system 20 years as well as causing a decrease in bone density, accelerating skin ageing, worsening eyesight and weakening muscles.

Within a month of his return to Earth on June 18 he said his body had returned to normal, except the bone density which could take up to a year.

He said this and the "amazing" condition of the astronauts on board the space station who had been there for nine months when he arrived gives him hope that humans will be able to explore Mars.

He said: "It showed me that we can deal with long duration space flight and that as humans we can adapt well to space and that we are not going to have any problem adapting to longer missions like Mars."

The science centre event was aimed at inspiring people, particularly children, to develop their interest in science.

Mr Peake took questions from young people in the audience - telling one youngster that if his cable snapped during a space-walk he would have floated for months before "burning up" on coming back into orbit.

