PHOTO: Astronaut Christina Koch's Official NASA Portrait. Photo by Bill Stafford courtesy of NASA. — Astronaut Christina Koch's Official NASA Portrait. Photo by Bill Stafford courtesy of NASA.

EXPLAINER: Christina Koch orbits around the Earth in 328 days

By Madison Ballard Last updated Sep 15, 2020 601 0

Record-setting Astronaut

After 328 continuous days in space, NASA astronaut Christina Koch returned home Feb. 6, 2020. This gives her the title of the longest single spaceflight by a female astronaut. Koch was selected out of eight candidates for NASA’s 21^st astronaut class in 2013. Since completing her training in July 2015, Koch has been intensively instructed on various subjects, including spacewalks. Her first assigned spaceflight was in 2018, and she continued to be a part of Expeditions 59, 60, and most recently, 61.

PHOTO: Portrait of female astronaut Christina Koch. Photo by Bill Stafford courtesy of NASA. — Female astronaut Christina Koch sets record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a female at 328 days. Photo courtesy of Bill Stafford via NASA.

Still in Space

In preparation for landing, Koch donned the Sokul launch and entry suit, also known as the rescue suit, which ensures the safety of the wearer in the event of accidental depressurization.

PHOTO: Astronaut Christina Koch wearing a Sokul suit. — Christina Koch in Sokul suit. Photo courtesy of NASA.

Koch shared her view of the planet from her Twitter account the day before coming home.

PHOTO: Screenshot of a tweet from Christina Koch. Screenshot by The Signal reporter Madison Ballard. — Screenshot of tweet from Christina Koch’s Twitter account. Screenshot by The Signal reporter Madison Ballard.

Expedition 61

Focused on topics such as biology and human research, Expedition 61 – which launched October 2019 – provided the foundation for continuing human spaceflight. The crew was made up of six astronauts including one first-time flyer, Jessica Meir.

Commander Luca Parmitano and flight engineers Alexander Skvortsov and Christina Koch wave their final farewells from space before traveling back to earth.

Returning to Earth

Nearly 12 hours after setting foot on land, Koch tweeted an image of her being helped out of the spacecraft post landing.

PHOTO: Screenshot of a tweet from Christina Koch about landing back home. Screenshot by The Signal reporter Madison Ballard. — Screenshot of tweet from Christina Koch’s Twitter. Screenshot by The Signal reporter Madison Ballard.

Koch was welcomed by family and friends when stepping off the plane at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston, Texas.

Life back on Land

Nearly a week after returning to normalcy, Koch took to Twitter again to share a photo of her on the beach in Galveston, Texas.

PHOTO: Screenshot of a tweet by Christina Koch with an image of her on the beach. Screenshot by The Signal reporter Madison Ballard. — Screenshot of tweet from Christina Koch’s Twitter. Screenshot by The Signal reporter Madison Ballard.

Koch was sure to update her bio as soon as she landed stating that she is back on Earth. She also shows her appreciation for Expedition 61, setting her header image to their crew group portrait.

Screenshot of Christina Koch’s Twitter profile. Screenshot by The Signal reporter Madison Ballard.

For a complete interview with Koch about her experience in space and beyond, check out NASA’s full media Q&A with her.