• Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Friday, February 3, 2023
Galveston County News Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Travel

Russian Cosmonauts ‘blindsided’ By Controversy Over Arriving At ISS In Yellow Spacesuits, NASA Astronaut Says – CNN

russian-cosmonauts-‘blindsided’-by-controversy-over-arriving-at-iss-in-yellow-spacesuits,-nasa-astronaut-says-–-cnn
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

(CNN)The three Russian astronauts who boarded the International Space Station last month in spacesuits that echoed the colors of Ukraine’s flag were paying tribute to their university and not protesting Russia’s invasion, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei said Tuesday.

The yellow and blue spacesuits surprised many observers, who assumed the Russians were showing support for Ukraine. However, the three cosmonauts are all graduates of Bauman Moscow State Technical University, which has yellow and blue in its emblem.

Vande Hei said cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov were caught off guard by the controversy over their spacesuits.

    “All three of them happened to be associated with the same university, and I think they were kind of blindsided by it,” he said at a press conference.

      Vande Hei said he didn’t shy away from discussing the war with his ISS crewmates.

        “They weren’t very long discussions, but I did ask them how they were feeling and sometimes asked pointed questions, but our focus was on our mission together.”

        Scientific collaboration with Russia begins to unravel

        Vande Hei landed in Kazakhstan in a Russian Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft on March 30 after a record-breaking 355 days spent in space. He traveled back from the space station with cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov.

          Geopolitical tensions

          His return from the ISS was highly anticipated and drew unprecedented attention because of mounting geopolitical tensions fueled by Russian space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin, who made several fiery social media posts directed at the United States.

          This included Rogozin retweeting a partially animated video that appeared to threaten that Russian astronauts would abandon Vande Hei in space. Rogozin also engaged in a Twitter spat with retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who held the record for the longest stint in space by a US astronaut until Vande Hei surpassed him.

          NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is carried to a medical tent shortly after he and fellow crew mates Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos landed in their Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan on March 30, 2022 in Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

          Vande Hei said he heard about the tweets from his wife. “I never perceived those tweets as anything to take seriously,” he said, adding he saw the tweets as aimed at a “different audience” other than him.

          “I just didn’t spend a lot of emotional energy paying attention to it. I heard about it. I kind of laughed it off and moved on,” he said.

          Russian cosmonauts spark speculation after arriving at International Space Station in Ukraine's colors

          On Saturday, Rogozin suggested in a series of tweets that Russia might end cooperation with the ISS due to international sanctions on Moscow and said Russia would prepare “concrete proposals to our country’s leadership” on the possibility of ending cooperation at the ISS with the space agencies of the US, Canada, the European Union and Japan.

          NASA said, “the professional relationship between our international partners, astronauts and cosmonauts continues for the safety and mission of all on board the ISS.”

          Other parts of Russia’s space program have been affected by the war in Ukraine. The country’s Mars rover project with the European Space Agency is on hold.

          The Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with  Mark Vande Hei of NASA, and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anton Shkaplerov Wednesday, March 30.

          Russian crewmates ‘dear friends’

          Vande Hei declined to reveal how the Russians on board felt about the invasion of Ukraine. “Those are things that I would prefer that they get to share directly rather than me sharing how they feel about it,” he said.

          He said the invasion itself was “heartbreaking, very sad” and he felt “powerless” learning about it while living in space. Vande Hei said it didn’t change his feelings about his Russian crewmates.

          “They were, are, and will continue to be very dear friends of mine. We supported each other throughout everything. And I never had any concerns about my ability to continue to work with them.”

          Upon landing after his record-breaking mission, Vande Hei said he was able to walk after about eight hours, though he said he was wobbly.

            He said he was also happy to eat some guacamole for the first time in a year and was shocked at how normal it felt to be back on Earth after so long in space.

            “It’s a little disappointing how normal it feels.”

            CNN’s Rachel Crane and Ross Levitt contributed to this report.

            Galveston County News Online

            © 2021 Galveston County News Online

            Navigate Site

            • Disclosure
            • Privacy Policy
            • DMCA Policy
            • CCPA
            • Medical Disclaimer

            Follow Us

            No Result
            View All Result
            • Home
            • DMCA Policy
            • Medical Disclaimer
            • Privacy Policy
            • Disclosure
            • CCPA
            • Terms of Use

            © 2021 Galveston County News Online

            We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
            Cookie SettingsAccept All
            Manage consent

            Privacy Overview

            This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
            Necessary
            Always Enabled
            Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
            CookieDurationDescription
            cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
            cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
            cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
            cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
            cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
            viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
            Functional
            Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
            Performance
            Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
            Analytics
            Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
            Advertisement
            Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
            Others
            Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
            SAVE & ACCEPT