Astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian Cosmonauts Return to Earth After Over a Year on the International Space Station

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Astronaut Frank Rubio, along with two Russian cosmonauts, has returned to Earth after spending more than a year at the International Space Station (ISS). Rubio, who broke the record for the longest continuous space flight by an American, landed in Kazakhstan earlier this week.

The Soyuz MS-23 capsule, carrying Rubio and his fellow crew members, successfully undocked from the ISS and made its descent to Earth landing southeast of the city of Zhezkazgan. The journey took approximately three and a half hours.

Upon landing, Rubio expressed his joy and relief at being back home. He and his crewmates, Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, were reportedly in good health and high spirits. Rubio was gifted a Russian matryoshka doll, while Prokopyev was seen smiling with a watermelon that he had requested.

The crew’s return was delayed by six months due to a leak in their original ship, which required a replacement to be sent. As a result, their mission was unexpectedly extended for a total of 371 days in orbit. Rubio’s achievement of spending a year in space makes him the first American to do so.

Not only did Rubio break the American record, but he also surpassed NASA’s previous record for consecutive days in space, which stood at 355 days. Additionally, Rubio became the first astronaut of Salvadoran origin to travel to space and the twelfth Hispanic overall to achieve this milestone.

During his time in space, Rubio consistently expressed his honor in representing the Hispanic community, stating, “It is a great honor to represent Hispanics. The message for youth is to continue with work, study, that anything is possible.” He emphasized the importance of progress and improvement for the Latino community in the United States.

Although Rubio’s accomplishment is remarkable, he and his Russian colleagues still fall short of the world record held by Russian astronaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 days and 18 consecutive hours on the MIR space station between 1994 and 1995.

Rubio, who serves as a family doctor and certified flight surgeon, has a decorated military background as a US Army Special Forces officer and Blackhawk helicopter pilot. He expressed his gratitude to his wife, Deborah, and their four children for their support throughout the mission.

In total, Rubio’s mission covered an impressive 253.3 million kilometers and completed 5,963 orbits around the Earth. As he makes his return to his home in Miami, Rubio leaves a remarkable legacy as an inspiration to future generations and a proud representative of the Hispanic community.

(Written with information from Reuters and EFE)