A NASA astronaut will finally fly home in just hours after Russia threatened to abandon him in space.
Mark Vande Hei, 55, is due to return from the International Space Station on March 29 and 30 onboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Vande Hei and two Russian cosmonauts, Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, are due to return to earth on Wednesday, March 30.
The three cosmonauts have been stationed aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits roughly 250 miles above Earth.
Nasa has said it will offer live coverage of the crew’s farewells, undocking, and landing from the ISS on NASA TV.
The farewell and hatch closure will go live on Tuesday, March 29 at 11.30pm ET (04.30am UK time). The undocking can be viewed at 02.45am ET (7.45am UK time), and lastly, the deorbit burn and landing will be live-streamed at 6.15am ET (11.15am UK time).
You can watch Nasa TV for free on Nasa’s website and official YouTube channel.
Read our ISS return mission live blog for the latest news and updates…
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Tech on the ISS
The International Space Station is packed with tech goodies.
Technology includes a potable water dispenser onboard the ISS, which is considered an intelligent machine, a high-tech lab, and an isolated confined space.
The Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Test Facility offers a number of different technological advances for astronauts to use onboard while in space.
This includes HVAC, CO2 scrubbing, an oxygen generation system, and the urine recycling facility.
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When are the astronauts undocking?
Soyuz is set to undock from the International Space Station at 2.45am EST and land in central Kazakhstan about five hours later.
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Hatches closed
The astronauts are currently getting ready to depart from the station.
They will also conduct leak checks before departing.
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Who will remain on the ISS?
Once Vande Hei, Shkaplerov, and Dubrov land, new station Commander Tom Marshburn, Nasa astronauts Raja Chari and Kayla Barron, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, and Sergey Korsakov will formally begin Expedition 67 onboard the station.
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Handing it over
Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov presented Nasa astronaut Thomas Marshburn with the keys to the International Space Station, handing over command.
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Tom Marshburn says his goodbyes
Vande Hei and Station Commander Marshburn hug it out as Expedition 66 will become Expedition 67 by the time the three astronauts land in the morning.
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Kayla Barron saying her goodbyes
Barron will be returning home in April after wrapping up her own mission.
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Final farewell
Soon, the astronauts will say a final farewell to each other.
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ISS flying 260 miles
The ISS currently flying about 268 statute miles over Brazilia, Brazil.
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After undocking
Shkaplerov will conduct a separation to move the Soyuz about 70 meters away from the station.
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US astronaut duration record holders
During the live stream, Nasa displayed a list of the durations of astronauts in space. The list includes:
- Peggy Whitson – 665 days
- Jeff Williams – 534 days
- Mark Vande Hei – 523 days
- Scott Kelly – 520 days
- Mike Fincke – 381 days
- Mike Foale 374 days
- Don Petit 370 days
- Christina Koch – 328 days
- Suni Williams – 322 days
- Joe Acaba – 306 days
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Vande Hei’s final aircraft duties
Cleaning up his space for the next astronaut, tossing away unnecessary belongings, and communicating with friends and family about plans back on the ground were among his final tasks.
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Shkaplerov’s time on board
At the time of landing, he will have totaled 708 days in space, making him seventh on the all-time endurance list, according to the live stream
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Longest stay
Vande Hei’s 355-day stay in space is the longest by an American in a single voyage.
Scott Kelly established the previous record of 340 days six years ago.
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What will happen after midnight, continued
The astronauts will relax for a bit in tents after undergoing basic medical tests before proceeding by helicopter to the airport, where Vande Hei and his Nasa colleagues will board a Gulfstream aircraft and take off.
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What will happen after midnight
The Soyuz will detach from the Rassvet module and land parachute-assisted in Kazakhstan’s steppes, southeast of the isolated town of Dzhezkazgan, on March 30.
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Landing site
There will be a search and recovery team for the Soyuz landings in Kazakhstan to retrieve the crew.
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Moments of solitude for Vande Hei
“In a way, I’ve been fortunate,” said Vande Hei. “Compared to what we’ve had to deal with on the ground, I certainly feel like it hasn’t been a tougher situation in terms of dealing with loneliness and our crew has done a fantastic job of being able to talk to our family on the ground.”
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Vande Hei’s high points
He said: “My favorite moments were the times when I was just hanging around during mealtime with my crewmates and we were laughing so hard about some comments that we made.”
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Vande Hei on mental health on board
Vande Hei said about his time on the ISS: “You’ve got to remain connected to the people that you’ve got back on the ground.”
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Post-landing
The Soyuz MS-19 crew will split up after landing, with Vande Hei going to his home in Houston and the cosmonauts flying back to their training center in Star City, Russia.
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The schedule
At the following times, Nasa TV, the agency’s website, and the NASA app will broadcast live coverage of the crew’s farewells, undocking, and landing:
- 11.30pm Tuesday, March 29 – Farewells and hatch closure
- 2.45am Wednesday, March 30 – Undocking
- 6.15am Wednesday, March 30 – Deorbit burn and landing
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Soyuz placed on auto
As the first step to return home, the Soyuz was placed on automated power, according to the live stream.
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355 day mission
5,681 orbits of the Earth later, Mark Vande Hei and Pyotr Dubrov will be returning to the Earth.
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Hatch closure happening now
The Soyuz MS-19 hatch closure on the International Space Station is happening now from the Johnson Space Center.
Tune in on the Nasa website or YouTube channel to watch.
