NASA astronaut Christina Koch, who broke the record of the longest space flight performed by a woman in history after staying 328 days in the International Space Station, landed Thursday in Kazakhstan with his crewmates Luca Parmitano, from Italy, and Alexander Skvortsov, from Russia.
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Koch completed the mission on his first trip to space, which gave researchers the opportunity to observe the effects of a long stay with zero gravity on a woman to prepare the human exploration of Mars and the Artemis program, with which the agency He plans to return to the moon.
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The stunning photographs taken by the astronaut who has spent more time in space
The astronaut smiled and raised her thumb while the support staff helped her out of the Russian Soyuz MS-13 capsule in which the landings are made and placed her in a chair for a quick review of her vital parameters and general condition. The three astronauts were well, Russian officials said.
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“Thumbs up and a big smile from @Astro_Christina! His first space flight became a 328-day mission with 5,248 orbits to Earth, a 139,000-mile trip, just the equivalent of 291 trips to the Moon round trip . #HappyChristina & welcome home, “NASA tweeted after the arrival of the astronaut.
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Thumbs up and a huge smile from @Astro_Christina! ??
Her first spaceflight became a 328-day mission with 5,248 orbits of Earth, a journey of 139 million miles, roughly the equivalent of 291 trips to the Moon & amp; back #CongratsChristina & amp; welcome home: https://t.co/8MFSftrUyR pic.twitter.com/zlmY2yYJDe
& mdash; NASA (@NASA) February 6, 2020
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After preliminary medical check-ups, the three astronauts were scheduled to travel by Russian helicopters to the city of Karaganda, in Kazakhstan. Koch and Parmitano would later board a NASA plane for Cologne, Germany, where Pamitano would be received by European space agency authorities before Koch continued his trip to Houston, according to the AP agency.
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Breaking records
For Christina Koch this was nothing more and nothing less than his first space travel, in a mission that gave researchers the possibility to study the effects that a long stay in space can cause in a woman, with a view to upcoming human explorations to Mars or the Artemis program, NASA’s plan to return to the Moon.
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The astrounauta extended her first mission, which was six months, and exceeded the previous 288-day record of astronaut Peggy Whitson, while the general record, for men and women, is held by Scott Kelly, who spent 340 days in the space.
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During his mission, Koch completed six spacewalks, including the first spacewalk integrated only by women, along with his colleague Jessica Meir, with whom he then did two other walks again. In total, Koch passed 42 hours and 15 minutes outside the station.
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328 days in orbit, do they fly away?
Spending 11 months inside a space station, without gravity, without eating ‘real food’ or doing many other small things to which we are accustomed, seems to be hell, but Christina Koch and her companions did not have much time to get bored.
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In addition to spacewalks, they were doing various experiments and research related to different everyday aspects of human life and their sharing in a zero gravity environment.
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In this type of research the astronauts themselves are usually the object of study, especially their health and the changes that their organisms experience, since the lack of gravity, for example, causes muscle and bone loss, so several investigations focus on how mitigate these effects and even avoid them in the future.
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Another project in which Koch worked was the investigation of ‘microgravity crystals’, where he managed to crystallize a key protein in the growth of tumors and cancer, an experiment that on earth has not achieved good results but at other previous times in the space and whose results could lead to more effective cancer treatments.
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In addition, Koch also helped to install a biofabrication plant, which can print tissues similar to those of organs, which form more easily without gravity.
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Harvest 2 complete! ?
This past week @Astro_Jessica and @Astro_Christina harvested Mizuna grown aboard the @Space_Station. A portion of the leaves were consumed by the crew while the rest were stowed in a freezer for later analysis on Earth.
Learn more: https://t.co/0piugN4nvr pic.twitter.com/HgFR8ESPdH
& mdash; ISS Research (@ISS_Research) November 18, 2019
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Together with her companions, Christina Koch also led a series of experiments and biological tests on plants and crops, from which they benefited, since they were able to eat fresh vegetables grown at the station. Of these vegetables, frozen samples are preserved, which will then be studied on Earth.
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They also carried out other experiments, such as the spread of fire in space and the behavior of combustion without gravity.
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Readapt to life on Earth
After 11 months in space, in conditions very different from those on Earth, Christina Koch will have to adapt again to live on our planet, for better and for worse. Although in addition to her husband and her family there are many things she has missed a lot, such as good nachos and the sensation of the wind on her face on the beach, she also ensures that, for example, sleeping in space has been Very relaxing and you will have to adapt again to do it in a bed.
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What will I miss? The exquisite beauty of both the planet Earth and this marvel that its amazing people created. pic.twitter.com/VWIFXuJMTp
& mdash; Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) February 5, 2020
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“What will I miss? The exquisite beauty of both the planet Earth and this wonder that its incredible inhabitants have created,” Koch tweeted shortly before starting his return trip.
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Christina Koch grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and now lives near the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, Texas, with her husband, Bob, with whom she will return soon to continue her life together.
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” For a day on the @SpaceStation, the sun rises and sets 16 times, as the station revolves around Earth every 90 minutes at 17,500 miles per hour. Discover ten ways in which @Astro_Christina must readjust to our home planet after spending 328 days in space, “NASA tweeted, heading to a website in which the astronaut herself explains the challenges ahead of her return to the earth.
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During one day on the @Space_Station, the sun rises and sets 16 times, as the station zips around Earth every 90 minutes at 17,500 miles per hour. Discover ten ways @Astro_Christina will need to readjust to our home planet after spending 328 days in space: https://t.co/vjXbzokZlr pic.twitter.com/FmESbkEdHI
& mdash; NASA (@NASA) February 6, 2020
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This is how Christina Koch herself explains how she will have to adapt again to some very simple things about life on Earth and that we take for granted:
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