What’s it like to live in space for a year? When NASA astronaut Frank Rubio returns to Earth next week, he will have broken an American record. It has orbited the International Space Station for at least 371 days. Astronaut Andre Kuipers has already spent 6.5 months in space, and tonight, with astronaut doctor Maybrett Kuipers, he will explain what that does to your body.
Earlier this month, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio broke the record for the longest time an American has ever spent in space. On Thursday, it celebrated its first anniversary in orbit. Rubio (47 years old) has been on board the International Space Station with Russian astronauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petlin since September 21, 2022.
Andre Kuipers knows how you feel. “When I hit the ground I felt like a magnet was pulling me. I really felt like I would have rather stayed upstairs. Floating is more fun than the G-forces you feel here on Earth. Your body has to adapt.”