NASA Astronaut Gets Extended Stay in Space, Sets U.S. Record

Two International Space Station crew members have had their stay onboard the orbiting lab extended to nearly a year. With the plans for Russian spaceflight participants to visit the space station in October 2021, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov will remain aboard the station until March 2022. Upon return to Earth, Vande Hei will hold the record for longest single spaceflight for an American. “I think all astronauts are explorers at heart and having the opportunity to contribute to furthering exploration is a great opportunity,” said Vande Hei.

A potential benefit to this extension is gaining deeper insight into how the human body adapts to life in microgravity for longer periods of time. This research helps prepare for Artemis missions to the Moon and eventually long-duration missions to Mars.