‘Changes the way you view life’: Kansas native reflects on six-month space mission
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Kansas native has officially recovered from an extended stay in space earlier this year.
Colonel Nick Hague launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in September, ing NASA’s Crew-9 mission.
“To be able to float over to a window every day and see the Earth like this, it changes the way you view life,” Hague explained.
The Belleville, Kansas native returned to Earth following a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station in March. He was ed by Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore and Aleksandr Gorbunov.
During his mission, Hague participated in over 150 scientific investigations and completed a six-hour spacewalk.
His flight will also go down in the history books; Hague became the first active-duty Guardian to fly into space. He is also one of the first humans to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
“It’s an amazing experience to be able to wake up that morning and work 12 hours and do a bunch of different science experiments—all of which have the potential to lead to big discoveries and improve life on the ground.” He went on, “As well as help us figure out how to go further into space.”
As for his recovery, Hague says it took him six weeks to readapt to gravity.
“We spent a couple hours a day, every day, for about six weeks after we land getting all of those ts healthy again,” Hague said. “Then, after a while it feels like somebody flipped a switch and it all feels normal again.”
Hague encourages future astronauts to chase their dreams, no matter how far they may seem.
“Your dreams and the ability to go out there and chase those dreams is not as far away as you think.”
Hague plans to spend the next couple of months sharing his space experience with Kansans in person.
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