The space struggle between the USA and Russia continues as it has for decades. Although the Russian side holds most of the space records, NASA is getting one step closer with each passing day, with names such as Mark Vande Hei, one of the favorite astronauts of the last period. Moreover, he does this by beating his own records.
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Mark Vande Hei made NASA and USA history: 355 days in space!
Scott Kelly, who went to space in another mission organized by NASA in 2016, remained in space for 340 days, becoming the longest American in space. However, as of this month, Mark Vande Hei has beaten this record, becoming the longest U.S. man in space, spending 355 days in space. Of course, let’s mention that the world record still belongs to Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who went to the ISS in the 90s and stayed 437 days and 18 hours.
Of course, this space trip was not a first for Mark Vande Hei. In 2018, he went to the ISS for a six-month mission. However, the astronaut, who made four spacewalks during his visit four years ago, spent nearly a year staying inside the station this time.
In fact, Vande Hei was supposed to do a spacewalk in this mission. However, due to a health problem he experienced in August, he could not perform the task. For this reason, another astronaut on the ISS took on this job and joined the spacewalk.
Making a statement on the subject, Mark Vande Hei said:
This is a very difficult environment to be in physically. There are times when you feel very uncomfortable physically. I had a lot of congestion and headaches. These are probably our weak points. It colors everything you do.
Much more work is needed to stay in the right frame of mind in situations like these. I have a job that is closed 24/7 for almost a year. So I look forward to being outside whatever the weather. I want to spend as much time outside as possible.
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