Earth is encircled by millions of pieces of trash, called "space junk," which orbit our planet and are the bane of astronomers' existence. This garbage has had devastating impact on at least one American astronaut, Frank Rubio, who returned to Earth on Wednesday after space junk is suspected to have hit the International Space Station last year. As a consequence, a trip that was supposed to last only 180 days dragged on for 371 days while Rubio and his Russian colleagues waited for a replacement team.
If there is any silver lining, it is that Rubio's inadvertently year-long stay in space earned him a record: He now has spent more time in space than any other American, beating the record held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei. That said, Rubio's achievement is only national; internationally, Russia has the record, having stayed in space for as long as 437 days, a milestone set in the mid '90s.
Rubio does not seem to believe that his record was worth the sacrifice. Speaking to CNN, Rubio said that he would not have gone on his space mission if he had known it would last more than twice as long as planned. Indeed, living space can be extremely dangerous, as more time off-planet equals more exposure to radiation and other hazards that can have devastating health effects.
"And that's only because of family things that were going on this past year," Rubio explained. "And if I had known that I would have had to miss those very important events, I just would have had to say, 'thank you, but no thank you.'" Among the events he missed: One daughter finished her first year at the U.S. Naval Academy, while another left for West Point.
