Photo: ESA/NASA-T. Pesquet
Sometime next week, a Blue Origin rocket will lift off to take another batch of rich folks with no proper astronaut training on a very short, 10-minute trip to the edge of space, just for the kicks of it.
The crew of six will thus soon be joining an increasing list of people who have done this. Some of them are now dreaming of getting the coveted astronaut wings for their touch-space-and-go experience, while most wish they’d be at least called astronauts after the feat.
Now compare those largely unfounded dreams and aspirations with what this guy, who spent years in training, achieved, as he became the American with most consecutive days spent in space.
His name is Mark Vande Hei, and on March 15 he became the record holder, reaching the milestone set a while back by Scott Kelly. By the time he’s set to return to planet Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), on March 30, he would have spent 355 days in orbit, 15 days more than what Scott Kelly achieved, and just ten days short of a full year.
Vande Hei joined NASA in 2009, after serving in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer. He started at NASA as Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center and did that for Expeditions 15 to 20 and STS-122, 123, 124, 126 and 127.
In June 2011, he finished astronaut candidate training, but continued to work as CAPCOM until 2012, when he joined the Astronaut Office’s Director of Operations in Russia.
His first mission to space came in 2018, as part of the Expedition 53/54 crew, and presently, as he set a new record for the longest stay in space, he serves as Flight Engineer for Expedition 65. For the current mission, the astronaut reached the International Space Station on April 9, 2021.
Now compare those largely unfounded dreams and aspirations with what this guy, who spent years in training, achieved, as he became the American with most consecutive days spent in space.
His name is Mark Vande Hei, and on March 15 he became the record holder, reaching the milestone set a while back by Scott Kelly. By the time he’s set to return to planet Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), on March 30, he would have spent 355 days in orbit, 15 days more than what Scott Kelly achieved, and just ten days short of a full year.
Vande Hei joined NASA in 2009, after serving in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer. He started at NASA as Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center and did that for Expeditions 15 to 20 and STS-122, 123, 124, 126 and 127.
In June 2011, he finished astronaut candidate training, but continued to work as CAPCOM until 2012, when he joined the Astronaut Office’s Director of Operations in Russia.
His first mission to space came in 2018, as part of the Expedition 53/54 crew, and presently, as he set a new record for the longest stay in space, he serves as Flight Engineer for Expedition 65. For the current mission, the astronaut reached the International Space Station on April 9, 2021.
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