– Mark Vande Hei is happy to have spent almost a year in space. NASA astronaut Vande Hei returned from a 355-day stay on the International Space Station on March 30. One week later, he made the first public comment about the experience, attending a press conference at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday (April 5th). “I’m very happy to be back,” said Vande Hei, when asked if he wished he had just 10 days left to spend a whole year in space. “If it ended in 300 days, I would feel very good about the mission. It is just an opportunity to work with a very good sense of purpose in a job where we can help all of humanity. The number of days was not so important to me.” Aside from the significance, Vande Hei now holds the distinction of having flown the longest solo space flight by an American astronaut. The previous record was set in 340 days by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly in 2016. “I want my 355 days to be remembered as the record he broke,” said Vande Hei. “I’m really looking forward to the next person doing more and moving further and further and exploring more.” “I want [my mission] to be remembered as a step, “he said. Return to Earth This was Vande Hei’s second space flight and the second time he had returned home on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. His first stay on the space station was completed after 168 days in 2018. “I did not have as many responsibilities on the Russian spacecraft this time. Last time I was co-pilot, this time I was in the same position that could have been a tourist, so I had very little to do, which gave me a lot of time. “to look out the window and observe and it was really a very enjoyable experience for me to observe things I had not noticed before,” Vande Hei said in response to a question from collectSPACE. One thing she did not realize was how much the Soyuz capsule swayed under her parachute as it descended into the steppe of Kazakhstan. “As I looked at this beautiful view of the Earth, it looked like the Earth was swaying back and forth through the window,” he said. “I realized that if I kept looking out the window all the time, I would start to feel nauseous, so I looked inside and started focusing on the screens. This made everything look very stable because nothing on the spacecraft was swaying back and forth. “ Then it was time for the “gentle landing”. “Having experienced landing on this Russian spacecraft, you hit very hard when you hit the ground. This time, I think it was harder to predict the impact it actually experienced,” said Vande Hei. “For some reason I do not understand yet, we experienced a higher G [gravity] charge as you go through the atmosphere, you slow down through the atmosphere, so I definitely felt it too, but it was all right. “ Vande Hei reported that he had some pain, but that his transition to life on Earth was going better – and faster – than he expected. “I’m shocked for the last two days because as I waited to return to Earth after so long, I really thought I would carry with me this unique perspective or appreciation for all the new things about being on the planet. But I adjust so fast. It gets a little frustrating with how normal I feel. “I want to go back a little bit weirder, but I’m shocked at how quickly it becomes normal,” he said. In and out Vande Hei said one of the key lessons he learned from devoting so much time to space was the need to focus on his mental health, advice he would offer to future astronauts whether they lived on the space station or headed for the solar system. System. “I felt better on this spaceflight, the bigger one, than the last one, because I really put a lot of work into the conversations I would have with myself, my own inner voice. That helped a lot,” he said. “I was much better [on this flight] about devoting time to meditation, “Vande Hei added. “I think it really helped me realize how I was reacting to things and sometimes just recognizing it and deciding to see things differently.” Part of the reason NASA is hosting longer stays at the station is to prepare for the next day that it will send astronauts back to the moon and eventually to Mars. Vande Hei said his own experience helped confirm that this was possible. “This mission has definitely strengthened my understanding of the feasibility of people surviving for a long time,” he told reporters. “What satisfies me is that my body is part of the experiment. I know that people should go and get data from me and my contribution to that data that will help people explore further.” “It’s definitely very satisfying, because as I get older I’m sure I will watch people who are much younger than me do amazing things. There are a lot of challenges ahead and it will be exciting,” Vande Hei said.
