NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio in Space Station Cupola
The NASA astronaut, Frank Rubio, poses for a photo in the dome of the international space station on October 1, 2022.
Rubio was selected as NASA astronaut in 2017. He formed as a flight engineer and member of the 68 expedition crew. Rubio, as well as the Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin de Roscosmos, launched on September 21, 2022, on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft of Baikonur Kazakhstan at the space station.
On board the orbital laboratory, Rubio and its colleagues member members have conducted dozens of scientific surveys and technological demonstrations, including growing tomato plants to study hydroponic and aeropic techniques, participating in crew health experiences and studying how the materials react in microgravity. Research like this and other activities of the orbital outpost will shed light on long-term missions such as Artemis and future human shipments on Mars.
Rubio spent 371 days in space, going beyond the NASA space flight record for continuous days in space made by astronaut Mark Vande Hei. Rubio and his teammates landed in Kazakhstan on September 27, 2023. Rubio’s mission is the longest unique space flight of an American astronaut in history.
Image credit: NASA / Frank Rubio
