After nearly a year in space, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is coming back to Earth

Ground personnel carry NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei after landing of the Soyuz MS-06 space capsule in a remote area outside the town of Dzhezkazgan (Zhezkazgan), Kazakhstan, on February 28, 2018.Two NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut returned t NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei is about to feel the weight of Earth's gravity for the first time in nearly a year when he lands in Kazakhstan on Wednesday along with two Russian cosmonauts.Since he arrived in space on April 9, 2021, the veteran NASA astronaut has missed a year of holidays, family gatherings and the second year of a global pandemic as Vande Hei has been working on the International Space Station about 200 miles above Earth.Vande Hei will hold the record for the longest American spaceflight at 355 days by the end of his mission.

During his career, he has spent more than 520 days in space.In a recent interview from space, Vande Hei said he promised his wife, whom he has not seen in person since January, that this will be his last spaceflight.

He said he's looking forward to being "physically present" for his family.RELATED: Satellite images show New York-sized ice shelf collapse in East AntarcticaThe astronaut said when he returns he will feel gratitude for the opportunities he has had in space to represent humanity, but he will also feel "a little bit of sadness because I'll be shutting the door on that, and this is a very, very special place."This video sequence charts the progress of the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft’s dive towards its first close passage of the Sun. (Credit: European Space Agency)Since Vande Hei launched in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, that is also how he will be returning home.