A Russian cosmonaut has said that it is more difficult being in quarantine than on board the International Space Station “because I am aware my family is nearby”.
Oleg Skripochka, 50, a Russian engineer and cosmonaut, recently landed at a spaceport in Kazakhstan with two NASA astronauts, and he now has to spend the next two weeks in quarantine because he arrived in Russia from a foreign country.
He told local media: “It is very different being back on earth because I can’t see my lovely family.”
Skripochka explained the difference between being in space far from his family and being in quarantine back on terra firma.
He said: “On the International Space Station (ISS) you are on a space mission so there is nothing you can change regarding living conditions because you are in space.
“Here on Earth, I know that my home is half-an-hour away but I cannot go there. I saw my family once when they welcomed me.
“It is more difficult because I am aware my family is nearby. However, I have to remain in quarantine for two weeks.”
According to the cosmonaut, he is staying in Zvyozdny gorodok in the western Russian region of Moscow Oblast, home to the military research and space training facility.
Skripochka arrived from space with NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan, 44, and Jessica Meir, 42.
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Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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