NASA astronaut home after unexpectedly breaking US record for days in space

NASA astronaut sets US space record

NASA's Frank Rubio spent 371 days in space, making the mission the longest a US astronaut has ever spent in space.

ALAMTY, KAZAKHSTAN – NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who returned to Earth with two Russian cosmonauts Wednesday, has made history but for reasons no one expected – the 47-year-old now holds the record for spending more time in space than any American.

NASA said Rubio spent 371 days in space for a mission that was only expected to last six months aboard the International Space Station.

The crew originally launched from a Russian space agency facility in Kazakhstan in September 2022, but while aboard the ISS, a coolant leak was discovered on their Soyuz spacecraft.

While the trio waited for a replacement craft from Russia, NASA said the crew observed 5,963 orbits of Earth and traveled some 157.4 million miles.

SEE THE OBJECTS HUMANS LEFT BEHIND ON THE MOON

Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency, believes the leak started after a piece of debris struck the spacecraft.

After some logistical delays, it was determined the crew of MS-23 would return to Earth after the astronauts of the MS-24 arrived safely at the ISS.

The previous record held by a U.S. astronaut was 355 days in space, set by Mark Vande Hei in 2022.

Rubio appeared to be in good spirits after their spacecraft landed in a field in northern Kazakhstan and said it was good to be home.

NASA ASTRONAUT FRANK RUBIO, 2 COSMONAUTS LAUNCH ON RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT TO ISS

The U.S. record is well short of being the longest any man or woman has spent in space.

Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov holds the record for the most days spent outside Earth’s atmosphere. Polyakov spent 437 days orbiting the globe during the 1990s.

Long ventures in space are known to produce issues such as weakened muscles and bone loss due to the lack of gravity.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio returns to Earth

(FOX Weather)