Image Credits – Roscosmos/NASA
Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko set a world record for the total time spent in space on Sunday (February 4), surpassing his compatriot Gennady Padalka, who spent more than 878 days in orbit – the equivalent of almost two and a half years, the Russian Space Corporation said.
Kononenko is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as he celebrated the milestone. Since 2008, he has traveled five times. His current journey to the ISS started last year on Soyuz MS-24.
He told the Russian news agency TASS: “I fly into space to do what I love, not to set records. Since childhood, I dreamed and aspired to become a cosmonaut.”
Roscosmos said 59-year-old Kononenko took first place from Padalka, who accumulated a total of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds.
Kononenko said he exercised regularly to counter the physical effects of the “insidious” weightlessness. He further added that only after returning to Earth did he realize how much life he had lost.
He said astronauts can now use video calls and messages to keep in touch with relatives, but preparation for each new space flight has become more difficult because of technological advances.
