American Astronaut Ends Record 371-Day Spaceflight, Lands in Kazakhstan

10 個月前

An American astronaut’s record-breaking spaceflight came to an end when he and his crew landed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, September 27, NASA said.

Frank Rubio, a NASA astronaut, and two Russian cosmonauts, Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, safely landed near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, after spending 371 days at the International Space Station (ISS). Rubio’s landing set the record for the “longest single spaceflight by a US astronaut,” breaking the prior record by a little over two weeks, NASA said.

The three spacemen were supposed to be at the ISS for 180 days, according to news reports, but a coolant leak forced the crew to extend their mission and wait for the arrival of a replacement spacecraft.

NASA footage shows Rubio being transported to a medical tent shortly after his parachute-assisted landing. Credit: NASA via Storyful