879 DAYS IN SPACE AND COUNTING!

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has set an out-of-this-world record for the longest time spent in space aboard the ISS

- RICHARD VAN RENSBURG

THE view may be to die for, but imagine being away from home for over two years, living on rehydrated meals and strapping yourself to a vacuum every time you need the bathroom.

Does it sound like something from outer space? Well, it is: this is the daily reality for Oleg Kononenko (59), the Russian cosmonaut who’s made history as the person who’s spent the longest time in space – 879 days in total as of 4 February when the record was announced.

He set it while orbiting 423km from Earth during his fifth space flight. “I fly into space to do my favourite thing [his job], not break records,” Oleg told the Russian news agency Tass in an interview from the International Space Station (ISS).

Still, he’s pleased with his accomplishment. “I am proud of all my achievements, but I’m most proud that the record for the total duration of a human stay in space is still held by a Russian cosmonaut.”

Oleg’s current space flight is scheduled to end in late September, by which time he would have logged 1 110 days in space. Presuming all goes well, the stay will help cement Russia’s lofty standing as leaders in long-term space travel. The record Oleg broke belonged to his countryman, cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, who’d clocked up 878 days, 11 hours and 29 minutes in space.

In fact, the six space travellers who’ve spent the longest periods in space are all members of the Russian cosmonaut corps. The next person with the most time spent in space is Peggy Whitson, a retired Nasa astronaut, with 675 days.

Oleg, a flight engineer who’ll take over as ISS commander this month, spends his days in space working on research projects and contributing to fields ranging from biology to physics and Earth sciences.