A Brief History
On March 22, 1995, Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov made it back to Earth after spending a record 437 days and 18 hours in space. A physician, Polyakov had previously spent 241 days in space on another space flight in 1988.
Digging Deeper
These two space flights were the only ones Polyakov made in his career. After medical and psychological tests, Polyakov was found to have undergone mood swings, but otherwise remained healthy after his experiences. He lived to the age of 80, dying in 2022.
The current record for total time spent in space by anyone is held by Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka who amassed 879 days in space.
The target of space programs beyond the Moon is Mars, which would require a flight of seven months each way. Depending on how long the space travelers would stay on Mars, the trip could be long indeed. The technological hurdles for now are enormous.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Lewis, Cathleen. Cosmonaut: A Cultural History. University of Florida Press, 2023.
NASA. NASA’S MOON TO MARS STRATEGY AND OBJECTIVES DEVELOPMENT: A blueprint for sustained human presence and exploration throughout the Solar System. Independently published, 2023.
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