After a record-breaking 355 days spent in area, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is returning to Earth. Vande Hei will land aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on the steppe of Kazakhstan alongside Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov on Wednesday.
It is a extremely anticipated return that has solely drawn extra consideration as a result of mounting geopolitical tensions over the past month, and NASA has repeatedly reaffirmed that it continues to work intently with Russian area company Roscosmos.
The trio will say their farewells to the remaining area station crew and shut the hatch between the Soyuz and the Rassvet docking module round midnight. The Soyuz is predicted to undock at 3:21 a.m. ET Wednesday, and the spacecraft will expertise its deorbit burn at 6:30 a.m. ET Wednesday.
The crew is predicted to make their parachute-assisted touchdown at 7:28 a.m. ET southeast of the city of Dzhezkazgan.
Every step of the crew's return will stream dwell on NASA's TV channel and web site.
After touchdown, Vande Hei will journey again to Houston aboard a Gulfstream jet, as different NASA astronauts have finished earlier than, and the cosmonauts will return to their coaching base in Star Metropolis, Russia.
Joint operations between NASA and Roscosmos on the Russian services at Baikonur, Kazakhstan, "proceed to go effectively," mentioned Joel Montalbano, the supervisor of NASA's Worldwide Area Station program, throughout a press convention on March 14.
Montalbano's remarks got here as Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin made a number of fiery social media posts directed at america, together with a closely edited, partially animated video that appeared to threaten that Russian astronauts would abandon Vande Hei in area. Rogozin has lengthy been recognized to share outlandish statements on social media. Former astronaut Scott Kelly only in the near past backed off of a Twitter struggle with Rogozin.
Vande Hei and Dubrov launched to the area station in April 2021, and collectively they've accomplished 5,680 orbits of Earth and traveled greater than 150 million miles round our planet. Vande Hei has now damaged the file for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut, which beforehand was set by Kelly at 340 days.
The prolonged mission will enable researchers to check the results of long-duration spaceflight on the human physique, just like the Twins Examine that Kelly and his twin, Mark, participated in throughout Scott's lengthy period. The insights gathered from prolonged missions can higher put together NASA to ship astronauts to the moon and on to Mars, in keeping with the company.
This was Vande Hei's second spaceflight, so he has logged a complete of 523 days in area. It was Dubrov's first flight.
In the meantime, Shkaplerov arrived on the area station in October together with a Russian director and actress who filmed the primary film in area. Whereas they returned to Earth simply weeks after their arrival, Shkaplerov remained on the area station and ends his fourth area mission with 708 complete days spent in area.
CHANGE OF COMMAND
Shkaplerov handed over command of the Worldwide Area Station to NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn Tuesday morning. Earlier than handing Marshburn a ceremonial "key" to the area station, signifying the change in command, Shkaplerov mirrored on his time in area, together with a number of the conditions the crew have confronted.
"It is like some satellites tried to kill us," he mentioned, inflicting the assembled crew of 10 astronauts and cosmonauts to snigger. His remark was in reference to a Russian anti-satellite check that created particles in November.
He additionally strengthened the close-knit and familial nature of the area station crew, particularly given present geopolitical tensions.
"Folks have issues on Earth," he mentioned. "On orbit, we're one crew, and I feel ISS is sort of a image of the friendship, cooperation (and) our versatile way forward for exploration of area. Thanks very a lot, my crew members. You're like my area brothers and area sister."
Marshburn mentioned it was an honor and privilege to simply accept command of the area station, "persevering with the worldwide partnership and that legacy in spaceflight." Marshburn thanked Shkaplerov for being a "fantastic commander."
"I am unable to thanks sufficient on your dedication to the protection of the station, the protection of your crew, your humor, your friendship and your dedication to the flight management groups world wide," Marshburn mentioned.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
After the departure of Vande Hei, Dubrov and Shkaplerov, the remaining area station crew consists of Marshburn, together with NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Kayla Barron, European Area Company astronaut Matthias Maurer and the just lately arrived Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov.
When the Russian trio docked with the area station on March 15, they sparked hypothesis by donning brilliant yellow spacesuits trimmed with blue. It raised questions on whether or not the three had been exhibiting solidarity with Ukraine by carrying its nationwide colours and rebuking their very own authorities's invasion. To date, no definitive reply has been given.
The area station will not be residence to a crew of seven for lengthy. The personal Axiom Area-1 mission, carrying former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria and US crew members Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy, is launching to the area station no sooner than April 6. The Axiom crew will return after 10 days.
Then, NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission will deliver NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, in addition to ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, to the area station later in April.
No spacewalks are at the moment on the schedule throughout this time of heavy crew rotation. NASA continues to research a "greater than regular" quantity of water found inside Maurer's helmet after his first spacewalk on March 23. A skinny layer of water was discovered inside his helmet as soon as he returned to the airlock practically seven hours after starting the spacewalk. The crew try to know what brought on this and decide how you can repair it.
"The company and our worldwide companions are always figuring out and mitigating dangers of human spaceflight," in keeping with a NASA assertion.
Post a Comment