Russians’ yellow-and-blue flight suits weren’t a political statement, a NASA astronaut says.

Three Russian astronauts weren’t making a political assertion after they boarded the Worldwide House Station in mid-March sporting yellow flight fits with blue highlights, the colours of the Ukrainian flag, in keeping with a NASA astronaut who was on the station on the time to greet them.

“I feel the parents that wore them had no concept that folks would understand that as having something to do with Ukraine,” mentioned the NASA astronaut, Mark Vande Hei, who returned to Earth final week. “I feel they had been form of blindsided by it.”

Throughout a information convention on Tuesday, Mr. Vande Hei mentioned the colours had been these of Bauman Moscow State Technical College, which all three of the brand new arrivals had attended.

Mr. Vande Hei and a Russian astronaut, Pyotr Dubrov, spent 355 days in orbit. They and one other Russian astronaut landed in Kazakhstan after a brief journey again to Earth in a Russian Soyuz capsule. Whereas relations between the USA and Russia deteriorated on Earth’s floor after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 2 international locations continued to cooperate as typical to securely carry the astronauts residence.

The American astronaut mentioned he had not paid consideration to bellicose social media postings by Dmitry Rogozin, the top of the Russian area program who shared a video that recommended the Russians would possibly strand Mr. Vande Hei on the area station.

“Fairly truthfully, I heard in regards to the tweets from my spouse,” Mr. Vande Hei mentioned. “I by no means perceived these tweets as something to take significantly. I simply had an excessive amount of confidence in our cooperation to this point to take these tweets as something however one thing that was meant for a unique viewers than myself.”

He mentioned folks on the station did discuss in regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “It was not a subject I shied away from with my crewmates,” he mentioned. “They weren’t very lengthy discussions, however I did ask them how they’re feeling and generally ask pointed questions.”

Mr. Vande Hei additionally mentioned that he trusted his Russian colleagues. “We supported one another all through every little thing,” he mentioned. “And I by no means had any considerations about my capability to proceed working with them. Excellent professionals, technically competent and great human beings.”

Mr. Vande Hei’s 355 consecutive days in area set a document for the longest steady keep in orbit by an American astronaut. Bodily, he’s nonetheless getting used to gravity once more. “I’m nonetheless uncomfortable,” he mentioned. “However people are very adaptable. And I feel that bodes properly.”

Mentally, although, life is sort of again to regular.

“I actually thought that I used to be going to hold forth with this distinctive perspective of appreciation for all issues novel about being on the planet,” Mr. Vande Hei mentioned. “I’m a little bit dissatisfied with how regular it feels. I form of wished it to look more odd being again.”