As a kindergartener, I remember looking up to astronauts. How courageous and adventurous they must be to hop in a spacecraft and undertake a lengthy, risky journey to space! There was a point in time where I, too, wanted to become an astronaut. Of course, my life goals swiftly changed as I got a bit older, but I still admire astronauts and the rest of the geniuses behind NASA.
But at present, there’s a particular astronaut who I can celebrate. Her name is Christina Koch. The 41-year-old engineer and astronaut went on a nearly 11-month-long space mission (her first spaceflight ever, FYI), and in the process, broke a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman as well as a record for the longest woman in space!
Fortunately, the 328-day mission was a success. Koch, Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos in Russia, and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency made a safe landing in Kazakhstan on February 6th at 4:12 a.m. EST.
Although the astronaut is thrilled to be back to her home planet, she’s bittersweet about the end of the mission.
“What will I miss? The exquisite beauty of both the planet Earth and this marvel that its amazing people created,” Koch posted on Twitter.
But something the NASA employee won’t miss about being in space is not being able to enjoy a big bowl of chips and salsa. We hear ya, girl!
Besides finally getting to dive into chips and salsa again, Koch still has plenty to be happy about in regards to her going-on-seven-year NASA career. Apart from her two new records from this trip, she and Astronaut Jessica Meir were deemed the first to partake in an all-women spacewalk on October 18th of last year. The two hoped that their record-breaking spacewalk “could serve as an inspiration for future space explorers.” You go, ladies!
Since Koch was the longest woman in space thus far, NASA will be conducting a study to see how long-term spaceflight affects women. The findings from the study will be useful for NASA as they plan their next moon mission and their eventual trip to Planet Mars.
For now, Koch and her crew will undergo a medical evaluation before being flown by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Shortly upon arrival, Koch and Colleague Paramitano will take a NASA plane to Cologne, Germany prior to Koch’s trip back home to her husband Robert (Bob) in Houston, Texas.
Check out Astronaut Koch’s reaction as she gets out of the spacecraft after her lengthy mission. Seeing her happy to arrive back to Earth after her successful journey makes me happy!
