Frank Rubio is helped out of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft simply minutes after he and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin landed in a distant space of Kazakhstan on Sept. 27, 2023.
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Frank Rubio is helped out of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft simply minutes after he and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin landed in a distant space of Kazakhstan on Sept. 27, 2023.
Invoice Ingalls/NASA/Getty Photos
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio holds the file for the longest U.S. area flight, however he wasn’t attempting to earn that title.
In September 2022, Rubio was deployed to the Worldwide Area Station together with two Russian cosmonauts. It was alleged to be a six month mission, however their authentic experience sprung a coolant leak whereas docked to the station. That 180-day mission was a 371-day keep.
Rubio returned to earth in September 2023. He joined All Issues Thought of host Ari Shapiro to replicate on the unexpectedly lengthy journey.
This interview has been frivolously edited for size and readability.
Interview highlights
Ari Shapiro: While you go to area, there’s a entire workforce ensuring all the pieces goes proper, checks and re-checks and backup plans. However nonetheless, issues occur. So how did you are feeling if you came upon that you’d be in area six months longer than you had anticipated?
Frank Rubio: It was initially type of difficult. However once more, we have been very, very assured of the truth that the workforce was going to care for us. And finally, they got here to the conclusion that the most secure path ahead was to ship a brand new spacecraft up.
It was difficult since you knew you would be away from your loved ones longer than anticipated, however you additionally knew that they have been making the proper choice for our security. And in order that clearly made it just a little bit extra palatable. And backside line is we’re all mission centered. And we knew that is what wanted to occur to make the mission occur. And so as soon as you bought over the preliminary shock and shock, you simply type of centered on making the very best of it and ensuring that the mission was completed.
Shapiro: For many of us, a mechanical problem means we now have to, I do not know, keep house from work for the plumber for a day. This looks like a very huge deal. In that second if you came upon what was occurring, have been you scared? Like, can you are taking us into the way it felt on that day?
Rubio: Effectively, so to start with, there was no imminent sense of hazard since you do take that spacecraft as much as the area station. However when you dock, basically the area station itself turns into your security car. However you do at all times must have a approach to get house in case one thing goes flawed. And so your spacecraft, whether or not or not it’s a Soyuz or a Dragon, basically is parked on station in order that if something have been to occur, you may rapidly get in and get your self safely again house.
And so for the month or two that the broken Soyuz was up there, we knew that we have been basically and not using a utterly protected car. However on the identical time, the station has been working for 23 years, and a security car’s by no means been crucial up to now. And so despite the fact that you had that behind your thoughts, there was no imminent sense of hazard. And finally, the truth that the workforce was capable of say, “Hey, we will launch a whole new spacecraft to come back get you” was a reasonably large deal as a result of that is not a reasonable endeavor.
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Shapiro: What did you miss most about life on earth?
Rubio: Effectively, my household for positive. After which, I like the outside. And in order that was really actually difficult as a result of the area station is nice, however it is vitally small. And it is a very enclosed area. We are saying it is concerning the measurement of a two- to three-bedroom home, however actually it is a two- to three-bedroom home composed completely of hallways, proper?
And so there is no giant room that you may go and simply take pleasure in just a little little bit of area. And our crew quarters, which is actually the one privateness you could have, is concerning the measurement of a small telephone sales space. And so, yeah, you do have to only be disciplined to not deal with the truth that it is so enclosed.
After which the remaining, it is actually such a extremely distinctive expertise that you do not actually deal with the truth that you are in outer area, that you simply’re touring at 17,000 miles per hour, you realize, the truth that the partitions are lower than a half-centimeter thick, all these issues. Though if you concentrate on them, they might appear actually harmful, I feel all of us simply settle for that that is the place the place we’re working and that it is labored effectively for 23 years.
Shapiro: What was it like coming house?
Rubio: It was unbelievable. Considered one of my favourite experiences was simply the entire means of de-orbiting and appreciating the engineering and the science that goes into ensuring that that occurs safely each single time a crew comes house is fairly particular, proper? All of it has to work completely proper each single time, and it has up to now. And so basically changing into a meteorite your self as you are reentering the earth is fairly unbelievable.
Rubio’s spacecraft touchdown this previous September.
Invoice Ingalls/NASA/Getty Photos
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Invoice Ingalls/NASA/Getty Photos
Rubio’s spacecraft touchdown this previous September.
Invoice Ingalls/NASA/Getty Photos
Shapiro: NASA has been learning the results of long-term spaceflight on people for some time now, and also you now maintain the file for the longest spaceflight for any American astronaut. So how do you are feeling bodily and mentally? I imply, you have been again on land for a number of months. Are there lingering results?
Rubio: Thankfully, once more, I am type of glad that this occurred when it did, which suggests 23 years into this system, as a result of we have type of found out tips on how to maintain people wholesome up there.
One of many largest issues being resistance train, as a result of we discovered that the most important results have been actually on our musculoskeletal and cardiovascular techniques. And so doing energy coaching and doing cardiovascular coaching actually retains us in fairly good well being. I really misplaced much less bone density than lots of the six-month missions used to lose up to now. And that is simply because daily you are placing within the work and also you’re type of constantly doing that all year long.
So I really felt actually, actually good after I bought house. The one issues that type of damage have been my decrease again, and that is just a little bit anticipated simply because despite the fact that you are strengthening it, it is actually not used to retaining your posture each single second of the day. After which the bottoms of my toes really damage fairly a bit. And you actually cannot prepare that. And the stress and the sensitivity that comes with standing and strolling was just a little bit surprising. However that is all resolved. And yeah, I would say I am about 90 to 95% again to completely regular.
