ANALYSIS – On September 11, 2023, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio inadvertently broke the U.S. record for the longest-ever space mission after a mishap on the International Space Station (ISS) left him stranded in space for just over one year.
The previous U.S. record was 355 days, just short of a full year in space.
This now makes him second only to a Russian cosmonaut with a longer space stay.
Dr. Rubio, an American of Salvadoran origin, and West Point graduate, launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on September 21, 2022, for a planned six-month stay.
However, in December 2022, the Soyuz spacecraft that transported Rubio and two Russian cosmonauts to the space station began leaking coolant while attached to the ISS, rendering it unfit to fly the trio back to Earth.
As a result of this, cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin and astronaut Rubio’s stay on the ISS was extended for another six months.
An Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot, Rubio logged more than 1,100 hours of flying, including over 600 hours of “combat and imminent danger” during deployments in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Rubio was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class and reported for duty in August of that year.
“Frank Rubio’s journey in space embodies the essence of exploration,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said on Twitter.
“As he breaks records as the longest-serving U.S. astronaut in space, he also paves the way for future generations of astronauts. Your dedication is truly out of this world, Frank!”
This isn’t the first barrier Rubio has broken through – a Florida native with a doctorate of medicine (he is also a board-certified physician and flight surgeon) – he is also the first NASA astronaut of Salvadoran origin to go to space.
If Rubio returns to Earth as planned on September 27, he will have spent 371 days in Earth orbit – making him one of only seven people to have spent a year in space, and beating previous U.S. record holder Mark T. Vande Hei’s flight duration by over two weeks.
The record for the longest-ever stay in space is held by Russian Valeri Polyakov, who orbited the Earth aboard Mir for a whopping 438 days in the mid-90s.
Rubio of course will share second place with the two Russians onboard the ISS with him.
And he was gracious to give them praise. Space.com reported:
“Maintaining that mental sharpness,” was one of the most difficult things Rubio faced after a year in orbit, he said. “99.9% of the time that we’re up here, it’s just nominal ops. But trying to maintain that edge, to know that we can respond when we need to if something does go wrong, gets challenging the longer you stay up here. But like I’ve said, I’ve had great crew mates who’ve helped in that endeavor.”
God bless you Dr. Rubio. Thank you for being an inspiration and one of the best America has to offer.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Bravo we can still do it
“…… – he is also the first NASA astronaut of Salvadoran origin to go to space.”
WHOOPEE!!! Is he an American? Or an illegal alien? For that matter, what origins were America’s first 7 astronauts in the space program? Did any of them have any Salvadoran, or otherwise Hispanic backgrounds in their family trees???
There comes a point in time where one’s racial background and being the “First” at something only appeals to Democrats/liberals/other racist leeches, and little kids.
For everyone else, meh. Not that big a deal.
Yup. The honor goes to an American and two Russians. Period!!