ASTRONAUT Mark Vande Hei set off to space on April 9, 2021, and is set to return home on March 30, 2022.
Mark Vande Hei is set to return alongside cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov.
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Who is astronaut Mark Vande Hei?
The NASA astronaut Vande Hei was born on November 10, 1966, in Falls Church, Virginia.
At 55 years old he is returning to Earth after spending 355 days in low-Earth orbit.
He has set a record with this return as it is the single longest spaceflight by a NASA astronaut.
The engineer was selected by NASA in 2009.
Vande Hei earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Saint John’s University and a Master of Science in Applied Physics from Stanford University.
According to the official NASA website, the US Army commissioned him through the ROTC program, he then served as a combat engineer for them.
He also went on to become an assistant professor of physics at the United States Military Academy in West Point in 1999.
Some of the roles he has served include combat engineer platoon leader, heavy engineer platoon leader, cold-weather-training officer, and support platoon leader.
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When does Mark Vande Hei return home?
The NASA astronaut is set to return home on March 30, 2022, after nearly a full year in a low-Earth orbit.
CNN reported that Vande Hei will land aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on the steppe of Kazakhstan.
He is set to return alongside Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov.
CNN also reported that NASA has continued to reaffirm that it continues to work closely with the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
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The Soyuz is expected to undock at 3.21am ET that Wednesday and the spacecraft will experience its deorbit burn at 6.30am ET.
The crew is expected to make their parachute-assisted landing at 7.28 am ET southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan.
Their return to earth will stream live on NASA’s TV channel and website.
Is Mark Vande Hei married?
According to the NASA website, Vande Hei is married to his wife Julie Vande Hei.
The couple has two children together, although little is known about his family publicly.
Vande Hei is currently serving as Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 65.
On March 16, 2022, he took to Twitter to share a video of himself from space.
“Like so many things at NASA, it takes a talented, dedicated team. Thanks so much to the folks that put this video together. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did!”
When asked what he will change about his life after spending a record amount of time in space he said he would like to spend more time outdoors.
“To get outside as much as possible. I’ve had an indoor job 24/ for almost a year so I am looking forward to being outside no matter what kind of weather,” Vande Hei said.
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