Russia’s space program has apparently threatened to drop a US astronaut aboard the International Space Station as it crashes to Earth in a video shared by Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti.
Mark Vande Hei, 55, a married father of two Texas children, is scheduled to return Kazakhstan From the International Space Station (ISS) with two Russian astronauts aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on March 30 after spending nearly a year.
But between the United States’ sanctions against russia Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has threatened to release him into space, for human rights violations in the siege of Ukraine.
He even took the time to make the chilling video, which was posted Twitter By NASA Watch.
The song features ‘farewell’ with up-beat music as the two astronauts on board the ISS with Vande Hei say goodbye to her and tear apart Russia’s section of the station – which will send it spiraling to Earth.
RIA Novosti captioned it: ‘Roscosmos television studio jokingly demonstrated the possibility of Russia withdrawing from the ISS project – the undocking of the Russian section of the station, without which the American part of the project could not exist,’ according to a translation from newsweek,
NASA’s Mark Vande Hei (pictured) is due to return from the International Space Station (ISS) with two Russian astronauts aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on March 30
Vande Hei (far right) has been aboard the ISS with two Russian astronauts since last April. But Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has threatened to leave the 55-year-old father-of-two in space — or even send the space station back to Earth crashing — by the US. Russian aggression in retaliation for supporting Ukraine
A video posted on Twitter shows astronauts saying goodbye to Vande Hike
Vande Hei’s mother Mary, 77, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s a terrible threat. When I first heard this, I cried a lot. This is very disturbing. We are praying a lot right now.
Mary, a retired teacher from Minneapolis, Minnesota, called for peace, saying: ‘It’s really a shame it’s been politicized like this. It’s quite a shock. His wife Julie, in Texas, is very worried. It is very difficult for him right now.
Recalling how she and her husband Tom joined their son in Kazakhstan in 2017 when they were launched to the ISS for their first six-month tour of duty in space, she said: ‘All different. It was wonderful to see people from different countries working together. , Mark has a very good relationship with all the astronauts and astronauts.
Tom, 80, a retired information systems executive, said: ‘These threats are just one person speaking out and, although this is the head of the Russian Space Agency, everyone else in the space agency seems very cooperative.
‘Our son doesn’t get scared easily.’
Thomas Kirkman, a professor of physics at St John’s University who taught Vande Hei as an undergraduate, also said his work ethic, education and military experience would help him deal with the stress he faced with professionalism.
‘I suspect he’s looking out the window at Ukraine sometimes,’ Kirkman told S.J. toldtar grandstand, ‘But he’s been a colonel, so he knows how to deal with people in difficult situations.
‘He’s the right man to be there,’ he said, ‘I’m less sure of the people who are in Moscow, but I doubt the people who are on the space station are professionals.’
Vande Hei is a married father of two children. He is pictured with his wife Julie
Vande Hei’s family has expressed concern over the threats made in the video
His parents, second and third from the right, said that their son had good relations with astronauts and other astronauts from other countries.
Vande Hei was born in Virginia, and raised in New Jersey and Minnesota.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from St. John’s University in 1989 before being commissioned into the Army through the ROTC program, where he served as a combat engineer.
In 1999, he became an assistant professor of physics at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and 10 years later he was selected as an astronaut.
His first space flight was in 2018 as an Expedition 53/54 crew member, during which he conducted spacewalks, researched microgravity and measured the Sun’s energy input to Earth.
He joined two Russian astronauts on the Expedition 64/65 crew last April, tasked with conducting hundreds of experiments to learn more about living in space, which NASA said is the ‘key of long-duration spacecraft’. It was important to understand and overcome the challenges, and the insights they gained will help send humans to the Moon and eventually Mars.’
In September, Vande He, speaking to students and staff at his alma mater, said: ‘I became an astronaut for the opportunity to explore a combination of mental and physical challenges.
‘It is a work that you have the potential to contribute to the cause of all human-kind.’
Vande Hei’s last tweet was on February 21, when he shared an aerial view of Washington DC and a quote from George Washington: ‘I was called by my country, whose voice I can never hear but with reverence and love.’
In fresh threats over the weekend, Rogozin (pictured) claimed that ‘illegal’ sanctions could cause the 500-ton ISS to crash into Western countries.
Rogozin threatened to release American astronauts into space in response to President Joe Biden’s announcement of sanctions against Russia, which he said would ‘degrade their aerospace industry, including their space program’.
‘Do you want to destroy our cooperation on the ISS? If you block cooperation with us, who will save the ISS from an uncontrolled de-orbit and fall to the United States or Europe?’ she has asked.
Then, after doing business with retired astronaut Scott Kelly on a separate video in which workers covered depictions of American and Japanese flags, Rogozin wrote in a now-deleted tweet: ‘Go away, idiot! Otherwise the death of ISS will be on your conscience!’
But Kelly said the video showing Vande Hee being dropped on the International Space Station went too far.
“It pissed me off that a country where we were in this international partnership for 20 years would take the time to make a video threatening to leave one of the crew members behind,” he said. ” Wall Street Journal.
“They agreed to be responsible for her safety, take her to the space station and take her home,” Kelly explained. ‘For me, that kind of bus crossed the limit.’
Still, Rogozin has doubled down on his threats, claiming over the weekend that ‘illegal’ sanctions could have caused the 500-ton ISS to crash into Western countries.
He added: ‘The populations of other countries, especially those led by the “dogs of war”, should think about the cost of sanctions against Roscosmos.’
Elon Musk has now offered to send his SpaceX rocket to rescue the American astronaut if the Russians abandon him, but NASA officials say they are confident Vande Hei will return as planned.
‘NASA continues to work with Roscosmos and our other international partners in Canada, Europe and Japan to maintain safe and continuous International Space Station operations.
“On March 30, a Soyuz spacecraft will carry NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and astronauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov back to Earth,” it vowed.
‘Upon his return, Vande Hei will hold the American record for the longest single manned spaceflight mission of 355 days.