[Reading Science] Unexpected Remark by US Astronaut Trapped on ISS Due to Russia

"Russian Colleagues Are Excellent, Thanks to Them I Endured"

Due to an unexpected accident, the 'lucky' astronaut who set the longest space stay record in U.S. history is finally returning at the end of this month. He recalled that the most challenging part of the unexpected long stay was 'mental management,' and he endured it because of his family. Although he was effectively trapped on the ISS due to Russia's mistake, he highly praised the Russian cosmonauts who stayed with him. On the ground, the U.S. and Russia are 'at war,' but in space, they were cooperating perfectly.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is being interviewed on the International Space Station (ISS) on the 12th (local time). Photo by NASA YouTube channel capture

On the 12th (local time), NASA announced that astronaut Frank Rubio, who arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on September 21 last year and stayed for about a year, is scheduled to return on the 27th. If everything goes as planned, Rubio will have already stayed 355 days as of the 11th, breaking the previous record (355 days) and becoming the NASA astronaut who has spent the longest time in space.

Upon his return on the 27th, the total stay will be 371 days, just over a year. He is the first NASA astronaut to exceed one year in space. The previous record holder was Mark Vande Hei, also from NASA, who went to the ISS in April 2021 and returned in March the following year. However, Vande Hei was informed in advance that his stay might be extended for medical experiments. Rubio is the only case who exceeded one year due to an unforeseen accident without any prior notice.

The all-time record in human history is held by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov. He arrived at the Mir space station in January 1994 and stayed for 437 days and 18 hours before returning. Besides Polyakov, three other Russian cosmonauts have stayed in space for over a year. Therefore, Rubio's stay record is not the longest in human history. He arrived at the ISS last September aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts, initially planning to return after six months. However, the return was delayed due to a malfunction in the return vehicle at the end of the same year. All the coolant in the Soyuz spacecraft leaked outside the hull. The Russian side attributed this to a collision with a meteorite fragment.

NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) discussed alternatives and decided to build and send a new spacecraft to replace the faulty Soyuz. However, the problem was that it would take time for the new spacecraft to arrive. As an emergency plan, NASA prepared to add temporary seats to the four-person SpaceX Crew Dragon that arrived at the ISS on the 27th of last month to return Rubio. However, on February 25, Russia launched the replacement spacecraft MS-23, which docked with the ISS, eliminating the need for an emergency escape. Nevertheless, the preparation of another Russian Soyuz spacecraft (MS-24) to transport the crew was delayed, so Rubio and two Russian cosmonauts will stay until the end of this month.

Rubio appeared on NASA's own broadcast channel that day and confessed, "Maintaining mental health was the most difficult challenge during my one-year stay on the ISS." He said, "For 99.9% of the time on the ISS, I was just performing nominal activities," adding, "As time passed, it became harder to stay alert and prepared for emergencies, but I was able to overcome it thanks to my excellent colleagues."

He also said that his family was the driving force that helped him endure the long space life. Rubio said, "My family was the cornerstone that inspired me to maintain a good attitude while staying on the ISS," adding, "My family went through many hardships over the past year but endured well, making it much easier for me to get through to today, and I am truly grateful to them."