Current:Home > reviewsJohnathan Walker:Astronaut Frank Rubio marks 1 year in space after breaking US mission record -Capitatum
Johnathan Walker:Astronaut Frank Rubio marks 1 year in space after breaking US mission record
TradeEdge Exchange View
Date:2025-04-06 09:31:20
After breaking the record earlier this month for the longest continuous amount of time spent in space by an American,Johnathan Walker NASA astronaut Frank Rubio on Thursday hit one year of orbiting Earth.
Rubio, 47, has been aboard the international Space Station with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin since Sept. 21, 2022, in a mission that was only supposed to last six months when they traveled to the ISS aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft.
However, in December 2022, the day a scheduled spacewalk was planned, an external leak was detected from the Russian spacecraft, later determined to have been caused by a micrometeorite impact.
MORE: NASA asks for help studying Uranus and Neptune as it prepares to capture new images
Because the spacecraft was unable to perform a crew return, the incident extended the three astronauts' stay for an additional six months. The Soyuz MS-22 returned to Earth uncrewed, and MS-23 was launched in February 2023 and docked at the ISS as a replacement for the crew's return later this month.
When Rubio and his two colleagues return to Earth on Sept. 27, landing in Kazakhstan, they will have spent 371 consecutive days in space. The current record for most consecutive days spent in space overall, with 437, belongs to Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov.
NASA congratulated Rubio in a post on the social media platform X on Thursday, writing, "Congratulations to NASA astronaut Frank Rubio for reaching one year on board the @Space_Station. On his first trip to space, Rubio has broken the record for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut in history."
Rubio broke the record on Sept. 11, surpassing the previous record of 355 consecutive days set by retired NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.
Over the year-long mission, Rubio and the other crew members have conducted numerous scientific experiments, including studying how bacteria adapt to spaceflight, using water-based and air-based techniques to grow tomatoes, and testing an expandable capsule for use in future space habitats.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Rubio said if he had been asked beforehand to spend a full year in space, he would have likely said no.
"If they had asked me up front before training, because you do train for a year or two years for your mission, I probably would have declined," he said. "It would have hurt, but I would have declined and that's only because of family, things that were going on this past year."
MORE: New York to London in 90 minutes? NASA exploring passenger jet that could do it
"Had I 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,'" Rubio continued, adding that he was excited to see his wife and four children.
In an interview with "Good Morning America" last month, prior to breaking the record, Rubio said he would undergo a medical examination upon his return to Earth because many astronauts struggle to walk and stand upright after spending prolonged time in space.
"I'm not sure how it will be for me," Rubio told 'GMA." "I'm preparing for the fact that it might be a challenge, that it might take a couple of days before I'm somewhat normal, but the reality is it's going to take anywhere from two to six months of really intense rehab to get back to my normal, and that's just part of the process."
veryGood! (34)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- U.S. stamp prices are rising, but still a bargain compared with other countries
- Serena Williams says she'd 'be super-interested' in owning a WNBA team
- From Wi-Fi to more storage, try these cheap ways to make your old tech devices better
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Bill meant to improve math skills passes as Kentucky lawmakers approach end of legislative session
- Timeline of events: Bodies found in connection to missing Kansas women, 4 people arrested
- Kesha Switches TikTok Lyric About Sean Diddy Combs During Coachella 2024 Duet
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Wealth Forge Institute: THE WFI TOKEN MEETS THE FINANCIAL SECTOR
Ranking
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Boeing pushes back on whistleblower’s allegations and details how airframes are put together
- From Wi-Fi to more storage, try these cheap ways to make your old tech devices better
- The Lyrids begin this week. How to see first major meteor shower of spring when it peaks
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Wealth Forge Institute: The WFI Token Meets Education
- Characters enter the public domain. Winnie the Pooh becomes a killer. Where is remix culture going?
- Characters enter the public domain. Winnie the Pooh becomes a killer. Where is remix culture going?
Recommendation
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
Wealth Forge Institute: THE WFI TOKEN MEETS THE FINANCIAL SECTOR
2 sought for damaging popular Lake Mead rock formations
Parents are sobbing over 'Bluey' episode 'The Sign.' Is the show ending? What we know
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
Judge awards $23.5 million to undercover St. Louis officer beaten by colleagues during protest
Asbestos victim’s dying words aired in wrongful death case against Buffet’s railroad
Maui Fire Department to release after-action report on deadly Hawaii wildfires