spacetoday.net: NASA to extend stays of two astronauts on ISS

NASA to extend stays of two astronauts on ISS

Posted: Sat, Apr 20, 2019, 9:57 AM ET (1357 GMT)
ISS during STS-135 mission (NASA)

Two NASA astronauts will get extended stays on the ISS, including one that will set a record. NASA announced Wednesday that Christina Koch, who arrived on the station a month ago, will remain there until February 2020. That stay, of about 328 days, will break the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman currently held by Peggy Whitson. Andrew Morgan, scheduled to launch to the station in July, will remain there until next spring, a stay of about 255 days. NASA said the extended stays will give researchers more data on the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. It also gives NASA more time to certify commercial crew vehicles that will transport future crews to the station.