An American astronaut breaks a new record with 371 days in space

ArabiaWeather - After spending more than a year in space, American astronaut Frank Rubio finds himself forced to adapt again to the force of gravity on planet Earth.

In a press conference held on Friday at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas, Rubio said that he felt slight pain in the soles of his feet and lower back while walking during the first days of his return from space.

He added, "I think there is a certain level of pain that is experienced because the lower back is once again carrying half of the body's weight."

After 371 days in space, Rubio returned to Earth

Rubio returned to Earth two weeks ago, after spending 371 days in space. In September 2022, a Russian rocket carrying Frank Rubio and a group of astronauts launched on a mission that was supposed to be routine and last only six months.

Last December, the Soyuz MS22 spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, which was supposed to transport the crew to Earth, suffered a major leak resulting from its collision with a small meteorite, according to an announcement issued by Moscow.

As a precaution, the Russian Space Agency returned the spacecraft to Earth and sent another relief vehicle. This action allowed Rubio and his colleagues to return to Earth. However, they now had to complete the mission that was supposed to be done by the original crew that was supposed to be on board the second vehicle.

“I was in agony knowing that I was going to spend a whole year on the space station, because I would rather be in outer space,” Rubio said.

He added: "But this was part of the job, and it took me a while to accept this. When I said to myself: 'This is going to be my world for the next 12 months, and I have to adapt to it.'"

The world record length of stay in space is 437 days

As a result of that long period in space, Rubio succeeded in setting a new record for the longest period spent by an American astronaut in space. He broke the previous record of 355 consecutive days, set by Mark Vande Hee in 2022.

However, Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov remains the world record holder with 437 days in space.

Rubio noted, "In the first days after returning to Earth, the body suffers from a disturbance in balance while walking... The mind may be healthy, but the body does not react as expected."

The first tomato grown in space

During his stay on the International Space Station, Rubio grew tomato plants. “I think they were the first tomatoes grown in space,” he said.

He explained that he put those plants inside a “small bag” and closed it tightly, but he lost the bag. He spent hours trying to search for him, but to no avail.

“Some people might think I might have eaten it,” he joked.

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Source: independentarabia

Image source: (AFP)