NASA astronaut Frank Rubio has made history by returning to Earth after an extraordinary 371 days in space, shattering previous records. Originally scheduled for a modest six-month mission aboard the International Space Station, Rubio's journey turned into an epic adventure that earned him a place in the annals of space exploration.
Rubio, the record-breaking astronaut, was welcomed back to Earth, experiencing the gravitational pull for the first time in over a year. He, alongside his Russian comrades, cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, descended in a Russian Soyuz MS-23 capsule, landing in Kazakhstan at 5:17 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
This awe-inspiring return marked the culmination of Rubio's unexpected odyssey, as he had initially been designated for a half-year stint on the International Space Station. However, fate intervened when a coolant leak was discovered on his initial ride while docked to the orbital station, extending his stay to a staggering 371 days.
Rubio's extended sojourn not only set a fresh record for the longest duration spent in microgravity by a US astronaut but also made him the first American to complete an entire calendar year in orbit.
This mission also ushered in several significant milestones for Rubio, as it marked his first venture into space since being chosen for the NASA astronaut corps in 2017. At the mission's outset, he achieved another remarkable feat by becoming the first astronaut of Salvadoran origin to venture into low-Earth orbit.
In a recent interview with CNN, Rubio admitted that had he known his mission would be twice as long as originally planned, he might have reconsidered, primarily due to family commitments. He stated, "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.’"
With four children waiting eagerly for his return, Rubio is now anticipated to commence his journey home from the Soyuz spacecraft's landing site near the town of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan. His homeward-bound journey will include a flight to Karaganda, situated approximately 330 miles (530 kilometres) northeast of Dzhezkazgan, followed by a subsequent flight to Houston.
Collectively, Rubio and his fellow crewmates covered an astonishing 157.4 million miles (253.3 million kilometres) and completed 5,963 orbits around our planet, according to NASA.
In terms of records, Rubio outshone the previous record for the longest stay in space by a US astronaut, which stood at 355 days, set by NASA's Mark Vande Hei in 2022. However, the ultimate record for the longest duration spent in space remains with the late Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who completed an astounding 437 continuous days aboard Russia's Mir space station between January 1994 and March 1995.