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Astronaut Christina Koch’s dog welcomes her returning home from space in the most adorable way

Astronaut Christina Koch
NASA astronaut Christina Koch makes observations from the International Space Station's cupola. Koch has already made history once in her stay aboard the orbital laboratory. In October 2019 she was part of the first all-female spacewalk and now she is poised to make history again. On December 28, 2019, she broke the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, when she surpassed former Station Commander Peggy Whitson's record. When she arrives back on Earth in February 2020, she will have spent more than 300 days in space. In this image from September 2019, Koch wrote on twitter: "#TBT to when Cygnus was docked and @AstroHague and I practiced for capturing Dragon by piloting the @Space_Station robotic arm. Soon we will capture the Japanese cargo spacecraft known as HTV. That means we will have seen the trifecta of cargo spacecraft!" Image Credit: NASA

Animals are amazing. NASA Astronaut Christina Koch published a short video on her Twitter account (@Astro_Christina) showing her dog’s reaction to her returning home from space after a record-breaking duration.

Koch said: “Not sure who was more excited. Glad she remembers me after a year!”

In the video below, you can see Koch’s dog welcomes her returning from space in the purest and most adorable way possible.

Of course, she remembers, Christina! They never forget. Lovely video.

The dog was adopted by Koch from the humane society. Her name is LBD, which stands for “Little Brown Dog”.

The adorable pup gets super-excited as Koch enters the house. Christina also looks very happy as she gets down on the floor to try to hold her furry friend.

Christina Koch

Christina Koch is an American engineer and NASA astronaut of the class of 2013. o the International Space Station on March 14, 2019, on Soyuz MS-12, alongside Aleksey Ovchinin and Nick Hague, to join the Expedition 59/60/61 crew. On December 28, 2019, she completed her 289th day aboard the ISS and broke the “longest spaceflight by a woman” record.

In October 2019, Koch was also part of the first-ever all-female spacewalk in the history of space exploration.

Koch lived in space with four fellow NASA astronauts and classmates: Anne McClain, Nick Hague, Andrew Morgan, and Jessica Meir as well as four Russian cosmonauts, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, ESA astronaut Parmitano, and visiting astronaut Hazzaa Ali Almansoori from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Astronaut Christina Koch
NASA astronaut Christina Koch makes observations from the International Space Station’s cupola. Koch has already made history once in her stay aboard the orbital laboratory. In October 2019 she was part of the first all-female spacewalk and now she is poised to make history again. On December 28, 2019, she broke the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, when she surpassed former Station Commander Peggy Whitson’s record. When she arrives back on Earth in February 2020, she will have spent more than 300 days in space. In this image from September 2019, Koch wrote on Twitter: “#TBT to when Cygnus was docked and @AstroHague and I practiced for capturing Dragon by piloting the @Space_Station robotic arm. Soon we will capture the Japanese cargo spacecraft known as HTV. That means we will have seen the trifecta of cargo spacecraft!” Image Credit: NASA

During her 328-day mission in which she orbited Earth 5,248 times, a journey of 139 million miles (about 224 million km), roughly the equivalent of 291 trips to the Moon and back.

She conducted and supported more than 210 investigations during Expeditions 59, 60, and 61, including as a research subject volunteer to provide scientists the opportunity to observe the effects of long-duration spaceflight on a woman as the agency plans to return to the Moon under the Artemis program and prepare for human exploration of Mars.

One particular research project in which Koch participated is the Vertebral Strength investigation, which better defines the extent of spaceflight-induced bone and muscle degradation of the spine, and the associated risk for broken vertebrae. This timely endeavor is expected to provide insight into the development of future countermeasures, such as preventative medicine or exercise. These results also could provide recommendations for limiting the amount of force astronauts are subjected to during launch.

Koch returned from space on February 6, 2020.

Christina Koch returns to Earth after a record-breaking mission – NASA astronaut Christina Koch and her crewmates, Expedition 61 Commander Luca Parmitano, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov returned to Earth aboard a Soyuz capsule on Feb. 6, 2020. Koch spent 328 days aboard the orbiting laboratory – the longest single spaceflight by a woman.
First-ever all-female spacewalk
First-ever all-female spacewalk in history: NASA spacewalkers Christina Koch (foreground, suit with red stripe) and Jessica Meir (suit with no stripes) replaced a failed battery charge-discharge unit with a new one during a 7-hour, 17-minute spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV Christina Koch and Jessica Meir ventured outside the space station at 7:38 a.m. EDT on Friday, October 18. They concluded the spacewalk at 2:55 p.m. EDT.

Sources

  • Christina Koch on Wikipedia
  • “Christina Koch Completes 328-Day Mission in Space” on the NASA blogs website
  • Lesson of the Day: “Christina Koch Lands on Earth, and Crosses a Threshold for Women in Space” on the New York Times website
  • “See NASA astronaut Christina Koch reunite with her dog after a year in space” on CNet
  • “Dog Could Not Possibly Be Happier About This Astronaut’s Return to Earth After a Year in Space” on Time.com
M. Özgür Nevres
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Özgür Nevres

By M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer and a science enthusiast. I was graduated from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Computer Engineering. In the past, I worked at the Istanbul Technical University Science Center as a science instructor. I write about the planet Earth and science on this website, ourplnt.com. I am also an animal lover! I take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

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