Who would have believed 50 years ago that the International Space Station (ISS) would be playing a prominent “connecting” role in the conflict on Earth? That is where we are. 

A Russian spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei landed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Vande Hei will have spent 355 days on the ISS, according to NASA, the longest streak any American has spent in the final frontier. 

This incredible feat occurs amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia as well as Russia and Ukraine. Matilda Bogner, head of the U.N. Human Rights Office in Ukraine, is in the process of verifying a number of videos alongside her team that imply ill-treatment of war prisoners.

According to NBC News, she said her team had seen videos from Russia and Ukraine purporting to show prisoners taken by each of the opposing armies and called on Moscow and Kyiv to investigate “so that any perpetrators will be held to account.“

While the authentication of these videos is still being investigated for Geneva Convention violations, it is evident to a world with eyes locked on these two nations that the conflict is worsening and putting innocent people in grave danger. 

Not surprisingly, Yahoo! Finance reported this morning:

“U.S. futures fell with European stocks, while energy prices rose as hopes faded for peace in Ukraine and soaring inflation readings highlighted risks to the economic outlook.“

It seems, however, that joint operations between NASA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, at the Russian facilities at Baikonur, Kazakhstan, “continue to go well,” in the words of Joel Montalbano, the manager of NASA’s International Space Station program. 

Any collaborative efforts at this point will be a saving grace for the world’s political health. NASA astronaut Vande Hei said it best:

This is a very challenging time for international relations. My hope is that, in our attempts to further and find peace throughout the world, that these types of connections that we have can be maintained and serve as a path forward to try to find that common ground that we need so desperately to find peace.

We need a little hope in humanity right now.

The World According to REITs

On the REIT side of things, there was quite a bit of news this morning. I covered the first three items in my morning REIT news eblast, The Intelligent REIT Daily. Below, are three more:

• United Dominion Realty Trust, Inc. (UDR): Priced a public offering of 7 million shares of common stock in a forward sale agreement raising gross proceeds of $406 million (~$58/share).
• Four Corners Property Trust (FCPT): Announced the acquisition of a Red Lobster restaurant property located in a strong retail corridor in Arizona for $2.4 million and noted that the property is occupied under a triple net lease to the corporate entity with approximately eight years of term remaining and priced at a 6.25% capitalization rate exclusive of transaction costs.
• Camden Property Trust (CPT): Will be added to the S&P 500 prior to the open of trading on Monday, April 4.

(The Daily REITBeat)