A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after being stuck in space for just over a year. American Frank Rubio set a record for the longest U.S. spaceflight — a result of the extended stay.
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 turned into a 371-day stay. 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.
Who is Frank Rubio
In 1975, Rubio was born in Los Angeles, California to his Salvadoran parents. He was raised in El Salvador until the age of six, then spent the majority of his life in Miami, Florida. Prior to becoming an astronaut, he attended the United States Military Academy and earned his bachelor’s degree in international relations.
Today, astronaut Rubio has an extensive military career, is an active-duty Army board physician, and launched as a flight engineer and member of NASA Expedition 68.
Out of a pool of 18,300 applicants for the 2017 Astronaut Candidate class, NASA selected Rubio as one of the 10 final people for the mission. This historic moment comes right on time for Latinx Heritage Month, a moment taken to celebrate the history and accomplishments of Latinx’s across the nation. Serving as a reminder, as NASA puts it, “There’s space for everyone.”
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