Veteran Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalyov broke the record Tuesday for the longest total time in space – and still has two months left before returning to Earth.
Krikalyov, who has been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since April 15, passed the record previously held by fellow-Russian Sergei Avdeyev, who spent a career total of 747 days, 14 hours, 14 minutes and 11 seconds in space, a spokeswoman for Russian ground control told AFP.
The record was passed at 10:42 a.m. in Moscow (0642 GMT) and with the mission due to continue into October, Krikalyov, 46, will be able to reinforce his achievement.
Krikalyov was aboard the Mir space station in December 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed, earning him the unofficial title of "the last citizen of the USSR." At the end of his 151-day mission, he returned not to the Soviet Union, but to Russia.
He was also the first Russian to fly on the US space shuttle and a member of the first ISS crew.
