Previous Year Question
Who is the record holder for single longest space flight by ‘NASA’ astronaut aboard the International Space Station?
Mark Vande Hei
Pyotr Dubrov
Anton Sheaplerov
None of these
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
Mark Vande Hei is an astronaut of the American space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). During his mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), he established the record in 2022 for the longest single spaceflight by a US astronaut by spending 355 consecutive days in space.
Mark Vande Hei began his journey on 9 April 2021 aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft and returned to Earth on 30 March 2022 aboard Soyuz MS-19. He landed in Kazakhstan alongside Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov.
Major facts related to Mark Vande Hei's space mission:
Particulars | Details |
Astronaut | Mark Vande Hei |
Space agency | NASA, USA |
Launch | 9 April 2021 |
Return to Earth | 30 March 2022 |
Duration of single mission | 355 days |
Previous US record holder | Scott Kelly — 340 days |
Approximate Earth orbits | 5,680 |
Mark Vande Hei surpassed the previous American record of 340 days held by Scott Kelly by 15 days. During his space mission, he completed approximately 5,680 orbits of Earth and travelled more than 150 million miles.
Pyotr Dubrov was a cosmonaut of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. He also spent 355 days in space alongside Mark Vande Hei, but the question specifically concerns the record held by a NASA astronaut.
Anton Shkaplerov was also a Roscosmos cosmonaut. He arrived at the ISS on 5 October 2021 and returned to Earth on 30 March 2022. His mission lasted approximately 176 days.
Long-duration space missions involve studying the effects of Microgravity on the human body, changes in muscles and bones, radiation, and human health in space. Such research is important for preparing future human missions to the Moon and Mars.