NASA / Thomas Pesquet
Days after returning from the 355-day space record, US astronaut Mark Vande Hei described what it was like to be on the International Space Station with Russian cosmonauts as the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded back to Earth. “There is a sense of weakness that accompanies this, when you see people who need help and there is nothing you can do about it,” Vande Hei told a news conference on Tuesday. The invasion, he said, “was not an issue I avoided.” However, he added, they were not very big discussions and the group remained focused on their joint mission. “They were and continue to be very dear friends of mine,” he said. “I have never had any concerns about my ability to continue working with them.” Vande Heil returned to Earth last Wednesday with two Russian cosmonauts in a capsule that landed in Kazakhstan. Vande Hei’s 355-day mission into space was the largest space flight for an American astronaut. The ISS program, involving the United States, Russia and other nations, is scheduled to last until 2024, but the United States aims to extend it until 2030. Questions about Russia’s cooperation with Vande Hei arose from a strange social media post originally published by the Russian state news studio RIA Novosti. The news entity shared a highly edited video on Twitter that appeared to show Russian cosmonauts on the ISS abandoning Vande Hei in space. Later, Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, shared the video on his Telegram channel, with the message that the new studio “jokingly proved the possibility of Russia withdrawing from the ISS project.” Rogozin has a history of sending controversial, questionable messages through social media. He recently took part in a heated exchange of views with former astronaut Mark Kelly, after the American criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Rogozin’s previous threats to leave the ISS. In a quick delete tweet, Rogozin wrote: “Go away, you idiot!” adding, “Otherwise, the death of the International Space Station will be in your consciousness.” Vande Hei said on Tuesday that he had heard about the exchange of views on Twitter with Kelly, but “somehow made him laugh”. Regarding the proposal that Russia could abandon him, Vande Hei said: “I never took these tweets as something I had to take very seriously. I had a lot of confidence in working together to receive these tweets as anything other than something intended for a different audience than myself. ” The current conflict between Russia and the United States shows “one of the reasons we managed to have an International Space Station,” Vande Hei added. “Some people who do not care so much about space are interested in international relations and having a place where we can work together, I think is very important for a peaceful future.” Rogozin’s latest threat to cancel ISS support came last Saturday. He posted a series of photos of himself on Twitter, stating that he was the head of NASA Bill Nelson, the head of the European Space Agency Josef Aschbacher and the head of the Canadian Space Agency Lisa Campbell, respectively. The letters, Rogozin said, were in response to his request for lifting sanctions against some Russian missile and space companies. Nelson’s letter responded: “NASA will continue to work with the US Federal Reserve to facilitate the continued cooperation and operation of the ISS.”
