“They don't. Up here on the space station we rely on each other, literally for our lives. We are great friends, professionals, colleagues, and it is not something that ever comes up in conversation, or should it,” Kelly said in response to the question whether problems between Moscow and Washington impact their work.
In a video call, the astronauts addressed less serious issues, like everyday activities in space and simple life pleasures, which they miss, such as a cup of coffee in the morning.
Kelly and Korniyenko said they “definitely look forward to the espresso machine” that will soon be installed on board the ISS.
The ISS is a space station orbiting Earth, launched in 1998 and is assembled from several different modules. As of March 28, 2015, the station has been visited by 216 cosmonauts and has been the departure point for 187 spacewalks. The station brings together the space agencies of Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan, as well as the European Space Agency.
In March 27, 2015, Russia launched the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka to the International Space Station. Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on the Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016, while Padalka will stay on board the ISS for six months.
