Friday, September 29, 2023

Longest U.S. spaceflight record smashed thanks to space junk collision

Matthew Rozsa
Wed, September 27, 2023

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images


Earth is encircled by millions of pieces of trash, called "space junk," which orbit our planet and are the bane of astronomers' existence. This garbage has had devastating impact on at least one American astronaut, Frank Rubio, who returned to Earth on Wednesday after space junk is suspected to have hit the International Space Station last year. As a consequence, a trip that was supposed to last only 180 days dragged on for 371 days while Rubio and his Russian colleagues waited for a replacement team.

If there is any silver lining, it is that Rubio's inadvertently year-long stay in space earned him a record: He now has spent more time in space than any other American, beating the record held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei. That said, Rubio's achievement is only national; internationally, Russia has the record, having stayed in space for as long as 437 days, a milestone set in the mid '90s.

Rubio does not seem to believe that his record was worth the sacrifice. Speaking to CNN, Rubio said that he would not have gone on his space mission if he had known it would last more than twice as long as planned. Indeed, living space can be extremely dangerous, as more time off-planet equals more exposure to radiation and other hazards that can have devastating health effects.

"And that's only because of family things that were going on this past year," Rubio explained. "And if I had known that I would have had to miss those very important events, I just would have had to say, 'thank you, but no thank you.'" Among the events he missed: One daughter finished her first year at the U.S. Naval Academy, while another left for West Point.



NASA astronaut returns to Earth after 371 days in space, a US record for longest continuous spaceflight

Pilar Arias
Wed, September 27, 2023 
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A NASA astronaut now holds the record for the longest U.S. spaceflight after returning to Earth Wednesday, but the feat did not come voluntarily.

American Frank Rubio and two Russian cosmonauts were stuck in space for just over a year. The trio landed in a remote area of Kazakhstan, descending in a Soyuz capsule that was rushed up as a replacement after their original ride was hit by space junk and lost all its coolant while docked at the International Space Station.

The mission that was supposed to be 180 days long turned into 371 days, which meant Rubio spent more than two weeks longer in space than Mark Vande Hei, who held NASA's previous endurance record for a single spaceflight.

Just last week, Rubio said he would have declined his space mission had he known he would be in orbit so long.

RECORD-BREAKING ASTRONAUT REVEALS HE WOULD HAVE DECLINED ASSIGNMENT IF HE HAD KNOWN THIS

"If they had asked me upfront before you start training, because you do train for a year or two years before your mission, I probably would've declined," Rubio told reporters from the ISS during a NASA press conference. "That's only because of family things that were going on this past year."

"Had I known that I had to miss those very important events, I just would have had to say ‘thank you, but no thank you,’" he added.

The replacement Soyuz capsule that brought Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin back was launched in February.

"It’s good to be home," Rubio, a 47-year-old Army doctor and helicopter pilot, said after being pulled from the capsule.

Russia still holds the world record of 437 days, set in the mid-1990s.

Fox News' Jon Michael Raasch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


NASA Astronaut and Father of 4 Returns to Earth from Record-Setting 371-Day Space Mission
Allie Hayes
Wed, September 27, 2023 


Frank Rubio has just returned to Earth following the completion of a 371-day mission at the International Space Station

Frank Rubio is finally back on his home planet.

What was meant to be a six-month mission turned into a 371-day trip to space for the astronaut and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, who returned to Earth on Wednesday, according to a press release from NASA.

The trio’s unexpected trip broke a world record for the longest an astronaut from the United States has spent in microgravity, overtaking the former record of 355 days held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.

Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin departed the International Space Station in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on Wednesday and made a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. EST in Kazakhstan. Upon landing, the astronauts underwent medical checks, with the plan for Rubio, 47, to then fly home to Houston via a NASA airplane.

According to NASA, the mission was prolonged after it was discovered that a coolant leak had occurred on the Soyuz MS-22 while they were docked at the International Space Station. Their overall trip encompassed 157.4 million miles and 5,963 orbits of the Earth, NASA said.

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Rubio, who is a father of four, told CNN of his new record that — had he known the mission would be extended to this degree — he “probably would have declined," adding, "And that’s only because of family things that were going on this past year, and if I had known that I would have had to miss those very important events, I just would have had to say, ‘thank you, but no thank you.’”



Bill Ingalls/NASA via GettyNASA astronaut Frank Rubio (left), cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev (center) and Dmitri Petelin (right) sit in chairs outside the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft

The medical doctor and military helicopter pilot also told CNN in a recent interview that he was "looking forward to just being outside and enjoying the peace and quiet" after a year of hearing the space station's constantly humming machines.

It will take some time for Rubio's body to get used to life back on Earth, though, after existing outside of the planet's gravity — he told CNN he expects it to be anywhere from two to six months.



Bill Ingalls/NASA via GettyNASA astronaut Frank Rubio is carried to a medical tent

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Of the mission, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in the news release, “Frank’s record-breaking time in space is not just a milestone; it’s a major contribution to our understanding of long-duration space missions. Our astronauts make extraordinary sacrifices away from their homes and loved ones to further discovery."

Continued Nelson, "NASA is immensely grateful for Frank’s dedicated service to our nation and the invaluable scientific contributions he made on the International Space Station. He embodies the true pioneer spirit that will pave the way for future exploration to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

Astronauts land after 'accidentally' spending a year in space and circling the world 6,000 times

Telegraph reporters
Wed, September 27, 2023 

Frank Rubio is happy to be home - Roscosmos State Space Corporation

A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts are home after circling Earth some 6,000 times while they were stuck in space for more than a year.

The trio landed in a remote area of Kazakhstan, descending in a Soyuz capsule that was rushed up as a replacement after their original ride was hit by space junk and lost all its coolant while docked to the International Space Station.

What should have been a 180-day mission had turned into a 371-day stay – an unexpected adventure that meant American Frank Rubio set a record for the longest US spaceflight.

Rubio spent more than two weeks longer in space than Mark Vande Hei, who held NASA’s previous endurance record for a single spaceflight.

Russia holds the world record of 437 days, set in the mid-1990s.

The Soyuz capsule that brought Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin back was a replacement launched in February. Russian engineers suspect a piece of space junk pierced the radiator of their original capsule late last year, midway through what should have been a six-month mission. Engineers worried that without cooling, the capsule’s electronics and any occupants could overheat to dangerous levels, so the craft returned empty.

There wasn’t another Soyuz to launch a fresh crew until this month. Their replacements finally arrived nearly two weeks ago.

“No one deserves to go home to their families more than you,” the space station’s new commander, Denmark’s Andreas Mogensen, said earlier this week.


Expedition 69 NASA astronaut Frank Rubio squeezed out of the spacecraft - Roscosmos State Space Corporation

Mr Prokopyev told ground controllers throughout the descent that all three were feeling good. They experienced more than four times the force of gravity as their capsule streaked through the atmosphere and came to a touchdown in the barren Kazakh steppes, ending up on its side. Helicopters moved in with recovery crews to fetch the astronauts.

“It’s good to be home,” Mr Rubio said after being pulled from the capsule.

Mr Rubio, 47, an Army doctor and helicopter pilot, said last week that he never would have agreed to a full year in space if asked at the outset. He ended up missing important family milestones including the oldest of his four children finishing her first year at the US Naval Academy and another heading off to West Point military academy.

He had said the psychological aspect of spending so long in space was tougher than he expected.

It was the first spaceflight for Mr Rubio and Mr Petelin, 40, an engineer. Mr Prokopyev, 48, an engineer and pilot, has now pulled two long station stints.

They logged 157 million miles since launching from Kazakhstan last September and circled the world nearly 6,000 times.

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