Tensions between the United States and Russia are elevated by conflict on Earth—but hundreds of miles beyond it, astronauts from both nations are operating as usual on their common in-space infrastructure, the International Space Station.

And in about one month, a record-breaking American astronaut will ride back to humans' home planet via a Russian spacecraft.

"[On] March 30, a Soyuz spacecraft will return as scheduled carrying NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov back to Earth," NASA Spokesperson Josh Finch told Nextgov on Friday. "Upon their return, Vande Hei will hold the American record for the longest single human spaceflight mission of 355 days."

For decades, Russia and the U.S. have partnered to push the boundaries of space travel—even when the counties and their leadership clashed back down on Earth. Together with certain other nations, the two run the ISS. 

Right now, four NASA astronauts, two Russian cosmonauts and one German astronaut are orbiting aboard that outpost. The ISS is divided into a Russian segment and an American segment. Essentially, Russia relies on the U.S.' electricity and the U.S. depends on Russia's propulsion systems in their cooperation.