What Spending a Record 371 Days in Space Taught Astronaut Frank Rubio

On Sep. 27, astronaut Frank Rubio, 48, broke the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by an American with his 371-day mission. When he returned to earth, his first meal back was a salad.  [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “What most of us crave when we get back is fresh food, fresh fruits, vegetables. I kept saying that I wanted a salad,” he recounts. Some may find this surprising, but it was that texture, crunch, and full sensory experience of eating food that he craved most while at the International Space Station (ISS), a football field-sized platform that orbits nearly 250 miles above us. Rubio’s record-breaking time in space was unexpected, to say the least—his return home was delayed by six months because of a coolant leak on the spacecraft that was originally going to take him home.  The experience, during which he traveled more than 157 million miles as the space station made nearly 6,000 orbits around the earth, was nothing short of incredible.  “It absolutely makes you appreciate the beauty of our earth and appreciate what we’re capable of as humanity,” Rubio tells TIME over a Zoom call. “It’s all pretty special.” Nearly four months after landing back on earth, Rubio spoke to TIME about his out-of-this-world experience. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. TIME: Could you start off by talking to me about what a typical day looks like i...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news