'Speaking specifically about my relationship with my Russian crewmates, they were, are and will continue to be very dear friends of mine,' the astronaut said.
HOUSTON, Texas -- NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei broke an American record for spending the most time in space, but there is much discussion in his first news conference back on Earth that focused on what was happening 250 miles below.Two-hundred and fifty miles above Earth weighs on you when you spend nearly a year away from family, and friends.
"I was able to walk on my own within eight hours, certainly wobbly, but eight hours later," Vande Hei recalled. Vande Hei ultimately returned to Earth on a Russian capsule, but it was in doubt after Russian leaders appeared to want to leave him in space."Quite honestly, I heard about the tweets from my wife," Vande Hei recalled."I never perceived those tweets to take seriously."
"It was not a topic I shied away from with my crewmates," Vande Hei recalled."They weren't very long discussions, but I did ask them how they were feeling and sometimes asked pointed questions.""Speaking specifically about my relationship with my Russian crewmates, they were, are and will continue to be very dear friends of mine," Vande Hei said."We supported each other through everything.