Because of the ongoing political tensions, the astronauts on the ISS station are worried that American expert Mark Vande Hei will not be able to go home. However, the latest statement has reassured insiders and outsiders. After a 355-day mission, astronaut Mark Vande Hei will return home later this month on a Russian Soyuz rocket.
“I can tell you straight away that Mark is going home… We are already in contact with our Russian colleagues. No problem at all,” said Joel Montalbano, NASA’s space station project director. He also asserted that astronauts are well aware of the tensions that are happening on Earth.
Astronaut Mark Vande Hei.
According to international space law, astronauts from all countries must “provide all possible help” when necessary, including making an emergency landing in any territory or sea, no matter whose property it is.
Although the director of the Russian space agency Dmitry Rogozin warned of possible difficulties when tensions arise, director Montalbano continued to insist that the space program was still going smoothly.
“These activities have been going on for 20 years, and nothing has changed in the past three weeks. Our control center is still operating successfully, without errors and smoothly“, said Montalbano.
Astronaut Mark Vande Hei and two Russian colleagues will land in Kazakhstan later this month. At the end of the business trip, the American expert will set the record for the longest space flight in the history of this country.