NASA’s Frank Rubio and his comrades aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are gearing up to conclude their stellar yearlong space odyssey on September 27th, if the stars align and schedules stay intact. This cosmic escapade has catapulted them into the stratosphere of space endurance, with only a select few having ever ventured this far from terra firma.
Now, the twist in this celestial tale? Well, this yearlong space marathon wasn’t part of their initial game plan—it was more of a cosmic curveball. You see, the spacecraft earmarked for their return journey decided to spring a leak in December 2022, adding an unexpected chapter to their adventure. Rubio didn’t spill the cosmic beans on this mishap, but he did open up about the cosmic challenges of a year aloft in a video recorded on September 5th, which aired on NASA Television’s media channel just a week ago, on September 12th.
Rubio delved into the mental acrobatics needed to keep their space wits razor-sharp. He explained that most of their time in the ISS is like clockwork, but the real cosmic conundrum lies in staying on the razor’s edge, ready to leap into action if the cosmic dice decide to roll snake eyes. He doffed his space helmet to his awesome crewmates for helping keep their cosmic edge as sharp as a meteorite’s impact.
The Soyuz MS-22, their chariot to the stars, took flight on September 21st, 2022, intended for a humble six-month joyride. But, as fate would have it, midway through this cosmic soiree, on December 14th, the Soyuz decided to take a cosmic chill pill and lost all its precious coolant to the unforgiving void. Russian bigwigs chalked it up to a celestial game of dodgeball with a micrometeoroid.
With NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos playing cosmic chess, they cooked up a plan to bring our space heroes back home. But, patience, dear space voyagers! The replacement Soyuz was en route, cruising through the cosmic sea at a leisurely pace. In the interim, NASA played their cosmic trump card—a makeshift seat aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, docked at the ISS. Rubio had a ticket on this spaceship of hope, in case of a cosmic catastrophe. Meanwhile, the Russian cosmonauts were meant to ride the wounded Soyuz, which they deemed a cosmic jalopy.
Thank the stars, the cosmic emergency plan didn’t see the light of day. A new Soyuz, the MS-23, docked safely on February 25th, erasing the need for this oddball escape plan. But, hold onto your cosmic hats, because another Soyuz (MS-24) was still getting its space legs ready, forcing Rubio and his band of cosmic travelers to extend their space vacation until the end of this month.
Rubio paid tribute to his lifeline—the family that stayed strong back on Earth. He marveled at their resilience, navigating the cosmic currents of this past year. Their unwavering support made his celestial stay much more bearable, and his heart brims with cosmic gratitude.
Now, it’s not all stardust and moonbeams. The MS-24 crew, featuring NASA’s Loral O’Hara and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, are slated to blast off toward the ISS on September 15th, putting Rubio and his crew into an exclusive club of cosmic elites. Only seven souls in the annals of space exploration have spent more than a year in the cosmos without a breather.
The title for the longest cosmic sojourn belongs to Valery Polyakov, who orbited for a mind-boggling 437 days aboard the Soviet Mir space station. Three more Soviet cosmonauts, Sergey Avdeev, Musa Manarov, and Vladimir Titov, also waltzed past the 365-day mark in the same cosmic dance.
Rubio clinched the title for the longest continuous stint by an American in space on September 11th, logging a jaw-dropping 355 days. Joining him on the cosmic leaderboard is NASA’s Mark Vande Hei, who initially set off on a six-month mission in 2021 but was warned that it might extend into a cosmic year, thanks to space station staffing needs.
Vande Hei, the yin to Rubio’s yang in this cosmic chronicle, cherished the bonds forged amidst the stars. He extolled the privilege of sharing that cosmic patch of real estate, both on-duty and off-duty, with some truly out-of-this-world companions.
Rubio nodded in cosmic agreement, echoing Vande Hei’s sentiment. His heart brims with gratitude for his extraordinary crewmates who’ve made this cosmic journey a memory etched in stardust.
Now, they join the ranks of NASA’s long-duration astronauts, including Scott Kelly, Christina Koch, Peggy Whitson, and Drew Morgan, who’ve all etched their names in the cosmic hall of fame, each with their own unique space story to tell.
