Lifestyle
His spacecraft sprung a leak. Then this NASA astronaut accidentally broke a record
Frank Rubio is helped out of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft just minutes after he and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin landed in a remote area of Kazakhstan on Sept. 27, 2023.
Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images
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Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images
Frank Rubio is helped out of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft just minutes after he and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin landed in a remote area of Kazakhstan on Sept. 27, 2023.
Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio holds the record for the longest U.S. space flight, but he wasn’t trying to earn that title.
In September 2022, Rubio was deployed to the International Space Station along with two Russian cosmonauts. It was supposed to be a six month mission, but their original ride sprung a coolant leak while docked to the station. That 180-day mission turned into a 371-day stay.
Rubio returned to earth in September 2023. He joined All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro to reflect on the unexpectedly long journey.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
Ari Shapiro: When you go to space, there is a whole team making sure everything goes right, checks and re-checks and backup plans. But still, things happen. So how did you feel when you found out that you would be in space six months longer than you had expected?
Frank Rubio: It was initially kind of challenging. But again, we were very, very assured of the fact that the team was going to take care of us. And ultimately, they came to the conclusion that the safest path forward was to send a new spacecraft up.
It was challenging because you knew you’d be away from your family longer than anticipated, but you also knew that they were making the right decision for our safety. And so that obviously made it a little bit more palatable. And bottom line is we’re all mission focused. And we knew that’s what needed to happen to make the mission happen. And so once you got over the initial shock and surprise, you just kind of focused on making the best of it and making sure that the mission was accomplished.
Shapiro: For most of us, a mechanical challenge means we have to, I don’t know, stay home from work for the plumber for a day. This feels like a really big deal. In that moment when you found out what was happening, were you scared? Like, can you take us into how it felt on that day?
Rubio: Well, so first of all, there was no imminent sense of danger because you do take that spacecraft up to the space station. But once you dock, essentially the space station itself becomes your safety vehicle. But you do always have to have a way to get home in case something goes wrong. And so your spacecraft, whether it be a Soyuz or a Dragon, essentially is parked on station so that if anything were to happen, you can quickly get in and get yourself safely back home.
And so for the month or two that the damaged Soyuz was up there, we knew that we were essentially without a completely safe vehicle. But at the same time, the station has been operating for 23 years, and a safety vehicle’s never been necessary in the past. And so even though you had that in the back of your mind, there was no imminent sense of danger. And ultimately, the fact that the team was able to say, “Hey, we’re going to launch an entire new spacecraft to come get you” was a pretty big deal because that’s not an inexpensive endeavor.
Want more on aerial methods of transport? Listen to Consider This on Boeing’s cozy relationship with the Federal Government.
Shapiro: What did you miss most about life on earth?
Rubio: Well, my family for sure. And then, I love the outdoors. And so that was actually really challenging because the space station is great, but it is very small. And it’s a very enclosed space. We say it’s about the size of a two- to three-bedroom house, but really it’s a two- to three-bedroom house composed entirely of hallways, right?
And so there’s no large room that you can go and just enjoy a little bit of space. And our crew quarters, which is really the only privacy you have, is about the size of a small phone booth. And so, yeah, you do have to just be disciplined not to focus on the fact that it’s so enclosed.
And then the rest, it’s really such a incredibly unique experience that you don’t really focus on the fact that you’re in outer space, that you’re traveling at 17,000 miles per hour, you know, the fact that the walls are less than a half-centimeter thick, all those things. Although if you think about them, they could seem really dangerous, I think we all just accept that that’s the place where we’re operating and that it’s worked well for 23 years.
Shapiro: What was it like coming home?
Rubio: It was fantastic. One of my favorite experiences was just the whole process of de-orbiting and appreciating the engineering and the science that goes into making sure that that happens safely every single time a crew comes home is pretty special, right? It all has to work perfectly right every single time, and it has to this point. And so essentially becoming a meteorite yourself as you’re reentering the earth is pretty incredible.
Rubio’s spacecraft landing this past September.
Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images
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Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images
Rubio’s spacecraft landing this past September.
Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images
Shapiro: NASA has been studying the effects of long-term spaceflight on humans for a while now, and you now hold the record for the longest spaceflight for any American astronaut. So how do you feel physically and mentally? I mean, you’ve been back on land for a few months. Are there lingering effects?
Rubio: Fortunately, again, I’m kind of glad that this happened when it did, which means 23 years into the program, because we’ve kind of figured out how to keep humans healthy up there.
One of the biggest things being resistance exercise, because we found that the biggest effects were really on our musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. And so doing strength training and doing cardiovascular training really keeps us in pretty good health. I actually lost less bone density than a lot of the six-month missions used to lose in the past. And that’s just because every day you’re putting in the work and you’re kind of consistently doing that throughout the year.
So I actually felt really, really good when I got home. The only things that kind of hurt were my lower back, and that’s a little bit expected just because even though you’re strengthening it, it’s really not used to keeping your posture every single moment of the day. And then the bottoms of my feet actually hurt quite a bit. And you really can’t train that. And the pressure and the sensitivity that comes with standing and walking was a little bit unexpected. But that’s all resolved. And yeah, I’d say I’m about 90 to 95% back to perfectly normal.
Lifestyle
‘Evil Dead’ Star Bruce Campbell Reveals He Has Cancer
Bruce Campbell
I’m Battling Cancer
Published
Bruce Campbell has revealed he has cancer, but says it’s a type that’s treatable, though not curable.
“The Evil Dead” actor shared the news Monday in a message to fans, writing, “Hi folks, these days, when someone is having a health issue, it’s referred to as an ‘opportunity,’ so let’s go with that — I’m having one of those.” He continued, “It’s also called a type of cancer that’s ‘treatable’ not ‘curable.’ I apologize if that’s a shock — it was to me too.”
Campbell said he wouldn’t go into further detail about his diagnosis, but explained his work schedule will be changing. “Appearances and cons and work in general need to take back seat to treatment,” he wrote, adding he plans to focus on getting “as well as I possibly can over the summer.”
As a result, Campbell says he has to cancel several convention appearances this summer, noting, “Treatment needs and professional obligations don’t always go hand-in-hand.”
He says his plan is to tour this fall in support of his new film, “Ernie & Emma,” which he stars in and directs.
Ending on a determined note, Campbell told fans, “I am a tough old son-of-a-bitch … and I expect to be around a while.”
Lifestyle
‘Scream 7’ takes a weak stab at continuing the franchise : Pop Culture Happy Hour
Neve Campbell in Scream 7.
Paramount Pictures
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Paramount Pictures
The OG Scream Queen Neve Campbell returns. Scream 7 re-centers the franchise back on Sidney Prescott. She has a new life, a family, and lots of baggage. You know the drill: Someone dressing up as the masked slasher Ghostface comes for her, her family and friends. There’s lots of stabbing and murder and so many red herrings it’s practically a smorgasbord.
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Lifestyle
Smoke a joint and get deep with flowers at this guided floral design workshop in DTLA
Abriana Vicioso is the host of the Flower Hour, which takes place monthly.
(Jennifer McCord / For The Times)
Each flower carries a personal history. For Abriana Vicioso, the calla lily was her parents’ wedding flower — a symbol of her mother’s beauty. “She had this big, beautiful white calla lily in her hair,” Vicioso says. “I love my parents. They’re the reason I’m here. I’ll never forget where I came from.”
The Flower Hour begins with Vicioso announcing, with a warm smile: “Today is about touching grass.” The florist-by-trade gestures behind her to hundreds of flowers contained in buckets — blue thistles, ivory anemones and calla lilies painted silver — all twisted and unfurling into the air. “Tonight is going to be so sweet and intimate,” Vicioso says, eyeing the beautiful chaos at her feet. A grin buds across her face.
Moments before the workshop, participants sit at candlelit tables exchanging horoscopes and comparing their favorite flowers. A mention of the illustrious bird-of-paradise flower elicits coos and awe from the women. Izamar Vazquez, who is from Jalisco, Mexico, reveals her fondness for roses, which make her feel connected to her Mexican roots.
Vicioso hosts her flower-themed wellness workshop near the iconic Original Los Angeles Flower Market in downtown L.A. In January, the first Flower Hour event sold out, prompting her to make it a monthly series. Vicioso describes the event as a “three-part journey” where participants are invited to drink herbal tea, smoke rose-petal-rolled cannabis joints and create a floral arrangement. “The guide is to connect with the medicine of flowers,” Vicioso says.
Rose petal joints, tea and flower arranging are all part of The Flower Hour event’s offerings.
The event is hosted at the Art Club, a membership-based co-working space. “The Flower Hour is really beautiful. Everyone gets to explore their creativity while meeting new people,” says Lindsay Williams, the co-owner of the Art Club.
The idea for Flower Hour came to Vicioso during a conversation with her mother. “We joke all the time that flowers were destined to make their way into my life,” she says. She works as a florist and models on the side, even appearing in the pages of Vogue. Vicioso grew up in a Caribbean household, where flowers and offerings were part of daily life. “In my culture and religion, a lot of my family practices — an Afro-Caribbean religion — we build altars.”
Like many cultures, flowers carry sentimental value in her religion. “I’m Caribbean, so a lot of my family practices a Yoruba religion, which comes from Africa. In the Caribbean, it’s well known as Santería.”
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After a difficult year and a breakup, Vicioso wanted to marry her love of flowers with community building. Because Vicioso uses cannabis medicinally, the workshop naturally includes a smoking component. “My family has smoked cannabis for a lot of reasons for a long time. It’s a really healing plant,” she explains.
In the workshop, even the cannabis gets the floral treatment. Vicioso presents her rose-petal-wrapped joints on a silver platter at each table. She rolled each by hand. “If you’ve never smoked a rose-petal-rolled joint, the difference with this is it’s going to have roses that have a slight tobacco effect,” she announces.
During the workshop, Vicioso stresses the importance of buying cannabis from local vendors. The cannabis provided was purchased from a Northern Californian vendor. The wellness workshop aims to reclaim the healing ritual of smoking cannabis. “This is a plant that has been commercialized,” Vicioso says. “There’s a lot of Black and Brown people who are in jail for this plant.”
The resulting workshop is what Vicioso describes as “an immersive wellness experience that is the intersection of wellness, creativity, community and an appreciation of flowers.” The workshop serves as a reminder to enjoy Earth’s innate beauty in the form of flowers — including cannabis. “It’s this gift that the universe gave us for free and that I have this deep connection with,” Vicioso says.
Conversation cards to generate discussion among participants (top, letf). The workshop serves as a “third space” for Angelenos to engage in tactile creativity and community building outside of traditional nightlife settings.
After enjoying lavender chamomile tea and smoking a joint, Vicioso introduces the flowers to the group before inviting them to pick their own. She emphasizes each flower’s personality traits, describing green dianthus as a “Dr. Seuss” plant. Then, there are calla lilies with their “main character moment.” It gets personal. “Start thinking of a flower in your life that you can discover,” she says. “If you’re feeling like you need inspiration, you can always remember that these flowers have stories.”
Vicioso infuses wisdom into her instruction on floral arrangements: There are no mistakes. Let the flowers tell you where they want to go, she urges. Intuition will be your guide — the wilder, the better.
“Hecho in Mexico” reads a sticker on a bunch of green stems. “Like me,” says Vazquez with a laugh. “They’re all doing their own thing. Like a family,” she says later, arranging stems.
The Flower Hour participants and Vicioso, center, chat as they build their own floral arrangements at the sold-out event.
Two participants — Vazquez and Rebeca Alvarado — are friends who run a floral design company together called Izza Rose. Like Vicioso, the friends have a connection to flowers through their Latin American culture. They met Vicioso in the floral industry and were overjoyed to discover her workshop.
“This is a great way to connect with other people,” says Vazquez.
Alvarado agrees, adding: “You’re getting to know people outside of going to bars. You can connect in different ways when there’s an activity.”
Vazquez uses flowers to stay connected to her Mexican heritage, adding that she prefers to support Mexican vendors. In recent months, the downtown L.A. flower market has struggled to recover from ongoing ICE raids. “Some are scared to come back,” says Vazquez.
Hand-rolled cannabis joints wrapped in rose petals are presented on a silver platter at The ArtClub (top, right). The Flower Hour aims to reclaim the healing rituals of cannabis and flowers.
Another participant, Barbara Rios, was attracted to the workshop for stress relief. “You can hang out with your friends, but it’s nice to do things with your hands,” she says. “I work a stressful job, and it’s nice to have that third space that we’re all craving.”
On this February night, the participants were predominantly women, save for one man. In the future, Vicioso hopes that more men learn to engage with flowers. “There’s a statistic about men receiving flowers for the first time at their funerals, and I think we have changed that,” she says.
To conclude the workshop, Vicioso encourages participants to build lasting friendships and incorporate flower arranging into their daily practice — even if it’s just with a small, inexpensive bouquet.
“Get some flowers together, go to the park, hang out with each other and hang out with me,” she says. Participants leave with flower arrangements in hand. In the darkness of the night air, it briefly looks as though the women carry silver calla lilies that are blooming from their palms.
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