On January 9, 1995, Russian astronaut Valery Polyakov broke the record for the longest time spent in space, completing 266 days, a record that remains unbroken to this day. This spaceflight, which lasted from January 8, 1994, to March 22, 1995, saw the astronaut spend a total of 437 days and 18 hours aboard the Mir space station, setting the world record for the longest duration achieved in a single space flight.
This record was achieved during Polyakov's second journey to space, and the extended period in orbit helped demonstrate the human body's ability to withstand the challenges of not only low Earth orbit missions but also potential future missions to deep space. Human space travel began on April 12, 1961, with Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin's flight, which lasted 106 minutes.
Valery Vladimirovich Polyakov was born during the Great Patriotic War, facing the Nazi invasion on April 27, 1942. Polyakov entered the field of space travel through his specialization in medicine and obtaining top qualifications, waiting ten years for his first flight, during which he underwent rigorous astronaut training.
In his first mission from August 29, 1988, to April 27, 1989, he not only conducted scientific research but also provided medical care for the entire crew. During this initial space flight, which lasted 240 days, Polyakov completed numerous biomedical research projects and developed new medical support methods for long-duration space missions.
His second spaceflight occurred five years after his return from the first, specifically on January 8, 1994. This distinguished doctor and astronaut, who passed away in September 2022, completed over 1,000 studies on the effects of space conditions on the human body during his second flight. Polyakov also conducted research in physiology, psychology, and other health-related fields, publishing his studies in both local and foreign specialized journals, with over 50 scientific publications to his name.
As for the longest mission aboard the International Space Station, that record belongs to Russian astronaut Pyotr Dubrov, who set a record of 355 days on March 30, 2022. This mission marks the longest duration for an astronaut at the International Space Station, although not the longest in space overall.
