The story goes on under the ad Navias said that after the Soyuz spacecraft landed, he was “pulled by the wind” and was by his side. He said it was “not uncommon”, adding: “The search and retrieval staff is starting the process of guarding the vehicle” or to bring it to a stable orientation. Vande Hei was pulled from the capsule while still on his side, about half an hour after landing. He looked cheerful, smiling and giving a thumbs up to the ground crews. The landing marks the end of a triumphant mission for NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, whose 355 days in space set a record for the longest solo space flight for an American. His safe return, along with Russian counterparts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov, also serves as a powerful symbol of partnership amid rising tensions between the United States and Russia over the war in Ukraine – a stubborn questioner over whether the relationship in space can withstand. Since the bloody invasion of Russia began more than a month ago, NASA has consistently argued that the space station is operating normally and that its relationship with Russian space agency for more than 20 years has not been affected by the turbulence on the ground. The story goes on under the ad NASA has deployed a team of about 20 people in Kazakhstan to retrieve Vande Hei, who would be flown by helicopter to a NASA aircraft on a nearby runway. He is scheduled to fly straight back to Houston to be reunited with friends and family. Russian and American teams have seemed to work well together in the recovery effort, something they have done many times in the past during their long-term space cooperation. NASA said it could not operate the station without the Russians, who provide the propulsion to allow the ISS to orbit and maneuver when needed. Russia also needs NASA, as the space agency supplies energy to the Russian part of the station. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s space agency, has continued a campaign of threats and outrage, saying Russia could pull out of the co-operation and, without its ability to reinforce the station, let it even fall to the ground. Meanwhile, top NASA officials have done a lot to look measured and professional – focused, above all, on keeping the crews alive in space. The story goes on under the ad NASA has repeatedly said that the two space agencies are working well on an operational level and that the mission continues to go beyond geopolitics. Despite the sometimes harsh rhetoric coming from Russia, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he was focusing on the actions of the Russians who are directly involved in managing the station. When Russia dropped a crew of three astronauts on the station earlier this month, it was a sign, he said, “that the Russians are still committed to the International Space Station.” On March 29, Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov handed over control of the International Space Station to US astronaut Thomas Marshburn. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: The Washington Post) The comedy came on Tuesday when cosmonaut Shkaplerov handed over control of the station to NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn, saying that while “humans have problems on Earth… in orbit, we are a crew.” Speaking in English, he called the space station “a symbol of friendship and cooperation and a symbol of the future of space exploration.” He thanked “my space brothers and sisters” and praised Marsburn, saying he would be a “professional ISS commander.” The story goes on under the ad Shkaplerov even joked about the satellite that Russia blew up last year with a rocket, scattering debris on Earth orbit that threatened to hit the space station. “Unfortunately, we had some emergencies, but not really dangerous. “It’s like some satellites trying to kill us, but we work very hard.” The astronauts and cosmonauts hugged each other, as is customary among crew members coming and going from the station. The images of the crews embracing and wishing each other were in stark contrast to the harsh rhetoric of the politicians and the images of Ukrainian cities being bombed and burned as millions of refugees poured out of the war-torn country. But the ISS has always been intended as a tool of diplomacy as well as a science and exploration laboratory, a way for the United States and Russia to work together after the end of the Cold War. The story goes on under the ad NASA hopes that this cooperation will continue. It has invested more than $ 100 billion in the station and now has SpaceX to provide regular crew transfers to and from the station. The White House recently said it would extend the life of the ISS – which has been under siege for more than 20 years – to 2030. Russia, however, has only committed to the station until 2024. Recently, the head of the Russian Rogozin said the country would “closely monitor the actions of our American partners and, if they continue to be hostile, we will return to the question of the existence of the International Space Station.” While at the station, Vande Hei, a retired army colonel who served in the Iraq war, said he became friends with his Russian counterparts. “They are wonderful people,” he told CBS News in January. “I definitely believe that the space station and our cooperation with the Russians on the space station in particular is a big sign of how successful we can be when we meet and do things that are cooperative, instead of finding points of conflict.” The story goes on under the ad This week, NASA chief Nelson told reporters that the agency would celebrate Vande Hei’s “historic 355 days in space.” He added: “For the safety of our astronauts, the working relationship between NASA and our international partners continues. And that includes the professional relationship between our cosmonauts and our astronauts. “ Vande Hei’s 355-day record on the ISS overshadows Scott Kelly’s 340 days. When Vande Hei was launched almost a year ago with Dubrov, who also spent almost a year in space, he knew it was likely to last longer than the typical six months. But he was not sure. NASA has extended the Vande Hei flight to make room for a Russian actress and producer to shoot scenes for a movie on the ISS and to ensure that the US presence on the station continues. In all, Vande Hei and Dubrov completed 5,680 Earth orbits and traveled more than 150 million miles, NASA said. He said he enjoyed his tour, but never counted down the days until his return. “I think that would make it more difficult for me. “If they told me I had to stay awake longer, I would gladly stay awake longer, but I would not offer to stay awake longer.”
