Frank Rubio is finally back on his home planet.

What was meant to be a six-month mission turned into a 371-day trip to space for the astronaut and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, who returned to Earth on Wednesday,according to a press releasefrom NASA.

Rubio, Prokopyev, and Petelin departed the International Space Station in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on Wednesday and made a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 7:17 a.m. EST in Kazakhstan. Upon landing, the astronauts underwent medical checks, with the plan for Rubio, 47, to then fly home to Houston via a NASA airplane.

According to NASA, the mission was prolonged after it was discovered that a coolant leak had occurred on the Soyuz MS-22 while they were docked at the International Space Station. Their overall trip encompassed 157.4 million miles and 5,963 orbits of the Earth, NASA said.

Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty

In this handout provided by NASA, Expedition 69 NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is helped out of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft just minutes after he and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on September 27, 2023

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Rubio, who is a father of four, toldCNNof his new record that — had he known the mission would be extended to this degree — he “probably would have declined," adding, “And that’s only because of family things that were going on this past year, 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.’”

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio (left), cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev (center) and Dmitri Petelin (right) sit in chairs outside the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft.Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty

In this handout provided by NASA, Expedition 69 NASA astronaut Frank Rubio (L), Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev (C) and Dmitri Petelin sit in chairs outside the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft after they landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 69 NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev, on September 27, 2023.

The medical doctor and military helicopter pilot also told CNN in a recent interview that he was “looking forward to just being outside and enjoying the peace and quiet” after a year of hearing the space station’s constantly humming machines.

It will take some time for Rubio’s body to get used to life back on Earth, though, after existing outside of the planet’s gravity — he told CNN he expects it to be anywhere from two to six months.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is carried to a medical tent.Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty

Expedition 69 NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is carried to a medical tent shortly after he, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev landed in their Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on September 27, 2023 near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan

Of the mission,NASA administrator Bill Nelsonsaid in the news release, “Frank’s record-breaking time in space is not just a milestone; it’s a major contribution to our understanding of long-duration space missions. Our astronauts make extraordinary sacrifices away from their homes and loved ones to further discovery.”

Continued Nelson, “NASA is immensely grateful for Frank’s dedicated service to our nation and the invaluable scientific contributions he made on the International Space Station. He embodies the true pioneer spirit that will pave the way for future exploration to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

source: people.com