Astronaut craves salsa and surf after record 11 months in space

After nearly 11 months in orbit, the astronaut holding the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman can’t wait to dig into some salsa and chips, and swim and surf in the Gulf of Mexico.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch said Tuesday— her 319th consecutive day in space — that taking part in the first all-female spacewalk was the highlight of her mission. She’s been living on the International Space Station since March and returns to Earth on Feb. 6, landing in Kazakhstan with two colleagues aboard a Russian capsule.

Koch said she and fellow astronaut Jessica Meir appreciated that the Oct. 18 spacewalk “could serve as an inspiration for future space explorers.”

She took time out for a pair of news interviews Tuesday, the 34th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster that claimed all seven lives on board.

She said she loves her work — she conducted five spacewalks and tended to science experiments — but she misses her friends and family.

“If they could visit here, I would continue staying for a very long time,” Koch, a first-time space flier, told the AP.“For their sake, I think that it’s probably time to head home.”

Why do chips and salsa top her most-missed food list? Crunchy food like chips are banned on the space station because the crumbs could float away and clog equipment.

“I haven’t had chips in about 101/2 months,”she explained,“but I have had a fresh apple” thanks to regular cargo deliveries.