Washington D.C: With the plans for Russian spaceflight participants to visit the space station in October 2021, NASA astronaut Mark T. Vande Hei and Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov will remain aboard the station until March 2022.
Thus, upon return to Earth, Vande Hei will hold the record for longest single spaceflight for an American. Hei was selected by NASA in 2009. Born in Virginia then raised in New Jersey and Minnesota, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Saint John’s University and a Master of Science in Applied Physics from Stanford University. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army through the ROTC program and served as a combat engineer. He is currently serving as Flight Engineer aboard the ISS for Expedition 65.
“I think all astronauts are explorers at heart and having the opportunity to contribute to furthering exploration is a great opportunity,” said Vande Hei.
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NASA stated today that a potential benefit to this extension is gaining deeper insight into how the human body adapts to life in microgravity for longer periods of time. “This research helps prepare for Artemis missions to the Moon and eventually long-duration missions to Mars,” it added.
– global bihari bureau
