Nasa’s astronaut with the longest spaceflight record is encouraging his fellow astronauts, who are currently stuck in space, to stay optimistic and “keep up the great work.”
Frank Rubio understands what it’s like to have an unexpectedly long stay in space. His own mission to the International Space Station lasted a little over a year—double the time he had originally planned.
For the last two weeks, he has been supporting his friends during their extended space mission. On Thursday, he spoke with Suni Williams and praised how well both she and Butch Wilmore have handled their challenging situation.
Williams and Wilmore were supposed to come back to Earth in June on Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which has experienced some problems. Their return was planned for just a week after they launched on a crewed test flight. However, after thorough evaluations revealed issues with the thrusters and helium leaks, NASA decided last weekend that it would be safer for SpaceX to bring them home. This new plan pushes their return to February, more than eight months since their launch.
“They’re doing fantastic work; they’re keeping a positive attitude and setting a great example while also completing a lot of additional tasks aboard the space station,” Rubio shared with The Associated Press from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
While staying in space until next year isn’t the ideal situation, Rubio remarked that “they’ve done an incredible job handling the difficulties.” Just like him, their families have also had to adjust and make sacrifices due to the change in plans.
“Adapting and overcoming challenges is part of our job. We have to make the best of any situation,” he added. “They’ve done just that, and I’m very proud of them.”
Since their one and only news conference from orbit last month, Williams and Wilmore have not commented on the Starliner situation. This was before the decision was made to switch their return to SpaceX’s spacecraft, which means that Boeing’s capsule will return to Earth empty this September.
Rubio’s own mission was extended when space debris struck his Russian Soyuz capsule, causing it to leak coolant. A new Soyuz capsule had to be quickly sent up for him and his two Russian crewmates, and they returned to Earth last September. Rubio currently holds the U.S. record for the longest single spaceflight at 371 days.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is responsible for all the content presented.
