Scientific Highlights of NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio’s Year in Space

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/scientific-highlights-of-nasa-astronaut-frank-rubios-year-in-space/ After spending an American record-breaking 371 days in space, Rubio departed the International Space Station, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, on Wednesday, Sept. 27, and made a safe, parachute-assisted landing southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. Rubio launched on his first spaceflight on Sept. 21, 2022, alongside Prokopyev and Petelin. Rubio’s spaceflight is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, breaking the record previously held at 355 days by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei. During his mission, Rubio completed approximately 5,936 orbits and a journey of more than 157 million miles, roughly the equivalent of 328 trips to the Moon and back. He witnessed the arrival of 15 visiting spacecraft and the departure of 14 visiting spacecraft representing crewed and uncrewed cargo missions. Rubio’s extended mission provides researchers the opportunity to observe the effects of long-duration spaceflight on humans as the agency plans to return to the Moon through the Artemis missions and prepare for exploration of Mars. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/record-setting-nasa-astronaut-crewmates-return-from-space-mission/