NASA astronaut sets record for longest stay in space

Astronaut Mark Vande Hei will spend 355 days on the International Space Station (ISS) before returning to Earth on March 30.

Astronaut Mark Vande Hei aboard the ISS.

When NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei launched into space 11 months ago, he didn't know how long he would stay in space, much less expected he would stay on the ISS station long enough to set the record. But by 0:24 on March 16, Hanoi time, Vande Hei will become the longest American astronaut in space in history. With a mission lasting 340 days 8 hours 42 minutes, Vande Hei will surpass the record of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly on March 2, 2016. From March 16 until returning to Earth on March 30, Vande Hei's record will continue to increase. His stay on the ISS station will last nearly a year (355 days).

"I didn't know for sure that the flight would be that long when launching," Vande Hei shared. "I feel this is an opportunity to fulfill the request and am delighted to be able to complete it."

Vande Hei arrives at the Soyuz space station on April 9, 2021. At that point, he knew he would stay at the station for at least 5-6 months. Last September, NASA extended Vande Hei's mission to bring in a Russian film crew to film and ensure that there were always American astronauts on the station regardless of the rotation schedule.

Vande Hei's longer stay in space also gives NASA the opportunity to learn how astronauts have adapted to life in microgravity over long periods of time. Kelly's 340-day record was also set for that reason. NASA is looking at ways for astronauts to take part in deep space missions, return to the Moon and fly to Mars.

Vande Hei isn't the only member of the crew to hit the 340-day mark in space. Cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos was also on the station for about the same time. Unlike the Americans, Russian cosmonauts participate in even longer space missions. Cosmonauts Musa Manarov, Vladimir Titov and Valery Polyakov all surpassed Vande Hei's record. Polyakov completed the longest space mission in history nearly 30 years ago. He lived on the Mir space station from January 1994 to March 1995, a total of 437 days 17 hours 58 minutes.

Vande Hei shared that the hardest thing about living in space is being confined inside the space station and away from family. He also said he could stay longer if the mission required.