Three astronauts return to Earth after a year in space. Frank Rubio sets US space record

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

A NASA astronaut and two Russians are back on Earth after being stuck in space for just over a year. The trio landed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, descending in a Soyuz capsule that was rushed up as a replacement. The extended mission means that NASA astronaut Frank Rubio now holds the record for longest spaceflight by an American. Rubio and his crewmates should have returned last spring from the International Space Station, but their flight ended up being doubled in length after their original capsule was hit by space junk and leaked all its coolant. The world record for a single spaceflight is 14 1/2 months, held by Russia.