have ever had the opportunity to actually visit it. Just over 600 humans have been to space since the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space in April 1961.
For some astronauts and cosmonauts, their space journey sees them traveling to and working on the International Space Station. In the 20+ years that it's been orbiting the Earth, the ISS allows humans to have a constant presence among the stars. It's also where important research happens, both to further space exploration and improve the lives of people back on Earth.
New astronauts regularly come and go from the ISS, though the departure of astronaut Mark Vande Hei is especially noteworthy. Vande Hei has set the new record for the most consecutive days spent in space by a U.S. astronaut. If you want to watch him leave the ISS for yourself, NASA is livestreaming the whole thing from its website. Starting at 11:30 PM EDT on Tuesday, March 29, NASA will begin its "coverage of the farewells and hatch closure for the Soyuz MS-19 crew at the International Space Station." Along with Mark Vande Hei, he'll also be ed by Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. The Soyuz MS-19 crew will undock from the ISS's Rassvet module at 2:45 AM EDT on March 30, followed by the spacecraft's engine burn and re-entry to Earth at 6:15 AM EDT. Once all is said and done, Vane Hei and his two crewmates should land in Kazakhstan at 7:28 AM EDT.
Why Mark Vande Hei's Return Is So Special
So, how big of a record are we talking about for Mark Vande Hei? Before this, the most time a U.S. astronaut spent in space was 340 consecutive days — a record set by famed astronaut Scott Kelly. Once Vande Hei disembarks the ISS, he will have spent 355 consecutive days aboard the ISS — equal to 5,680 Earth orbits and over 150 million miles traveled. While aboard the ISS, Vande Hei also helped break a couple of records for growing and harvesting fresh chili peppers aboard the space station.
As mentioned above, live coverage of Vande Hei's record-breaking return to Earth begins at 11:30 PM EDT on March 29. If you don't care about all of the pre-launch activities and just want to see the actual landing, you don't have to tune in until 6:15 AM EDT on March 30. The live video will be available directly on NASA's website, or you can click the video player above and watch it right here.
Source: NASA