The high tension between the United States and Russia regarding the conflict in Ukraine is also heating up in the space realm. Even in the latest developments, United States astronauts who are currently on the International Space Station (ISS) are in danger of being stranded there.
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, 55, is scheduled to return from the ISS with two Russian cosmonauts on March 30, 2022. They will return home on Russian-made Soyuz rockets.
Well, as quoted by us from the Daily Mail, Monday (14/3/2022) the head of the Russian space agency Dmitry Rogozin has threatened to leave Mark on the ISS in retaliation to US sanctions imposed on Russia.
Mark's family, a father of two, were worried. "What a terrible threat. The first time I heard it, I cried. We prayed a lot," said Mark's mother, Mary, who is 77 years old.
Mark is scheduled to land in the Kazakhstan area after being in orbit for 355 days. But Rogozin threatened not to transport it, and it's also possible that the Russians would leave the part they were managing on the ISS so that the space station could fall to Earth.
He had previously made that threat and now he has again alluded to it. According to him, US sanctions on Russia included in the space program, could make the ISS, weighing 500 tons, fall out of control. The area of the fall can be in the territory of western countries.
"The populations of those countries, especially those led by war dogs, should think about the price to pay for sanctions against Roscosmos," Rogozin said.
Mark's wife was certainly very worried about the fate of her husband. "His wife, Julie, who lives in Texas, is very worried right now. It's a really tough situation for her," said Mary.
He added that the child was on good terms with the Russian cosmonauts. He said it was a wonderful thing that astronauts from various nations could work together.
"The threat only came from one person and even though he was the head of the Russian space agency, everyone in the agency seemed very cooperative. Our child is not easily frightened," added Mary.
If the Russian threat comes true, NASA certainly has a plan to save its astronauts from the ISS. Elon Musk has also offered to pick him up on a SpaceX rocket.