Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko became the first person to spend 1000 days in space

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko This Tuesday, he became the first person to spend 1,000 days in space, a record he broke aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Kononenko, 59, set the new mark at 21:00:20 GMT after five flights to the orbital platform.

The Russian’s long stay on the ISS will allow scientists learn more about its physiological effects on the bodysuch as muscle degeneration, bone loss, blurred vision and loss of balance (dizziness).

Kononenko, who turns 60 in two weeks, is a record-breaking man, as on February 4 he already became the cosmonaut with the longest stay in outer space – 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds – a record that he has held so far legendary Gennady Padalka.

In accordance with EfeThe Russian, who arrived on the spacecraft in September 2023 on the Soyuz MS-24, will add 1,110 days – almost three years – when return to Earth on September 23 next year.

In total, Kononenko, who was born in the former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan, made five flights to the ISS (2008, 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023).

Kononenko’s estimate is virtually unbeatable today, since the next ten cosmonauts on the list are already retired or deceased.

The vast majority of them are Russian or were born in the former Soviet Union, with the exception of American Peggy Whitson, who is in ninth place with 675 days, which is a great achievement considering that NASA has always limited women’s presence on the ISS due to an increased risk of developing cancer.

The next active cosmonaut is also Russian Sergei Prokopyev, who has 567 days left. However, it will be difficult for him to enhance his personal brand as the Russian space agency Roscosmos has announced its intention to abandon the ISS in the coming years to focus on building a new Russian space station.

As for the record for continuous stay in space, it belongs to another Russian, Valery Polyakov, who spent 437 days continuously on the Russian Mir station between 1994 and 1995.