Valeri Polyakov (Russia)

Valeri Polyakov holds the record for the longest single spaceflight, spending 437 days aboard the Mir space station from January 1994 to March 1995. Born in 1942, Polyakov is a physician who utilized his time in space to study the effects of prolonged weightlessness on the human body, providing invaluable data for future long-duration missions.

Frank Rubio (USA)

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio completed a single mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) lasting 371 days, concluding in September 2023. This mission set the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by an American astronaut, surpassing previous records and contributing significantly to research on human endurance in microgravity.

Mark Vande Hei (USA)

Mark Vande Hei spent 355 consecutive days on the ISS from April 2021 to March 2022. His mission focused on scientific experiments aimed at understanding the impacts of long-duration space travel, which are crucial for planning future missions to Mars and beyond.

Scott Kelly (USA)

Scott Kelly's "Year in Space" mission lasted 340 days, from March 2015 to March 2016, aboard the ISS. This mission was part of a comparative study with his twin brother, Mark Kelly, to assess the effects of prolonged spaceflight on the human body, offering insights into genetic and physiological changes.

Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov (Russia)

Cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov jointly spent 365 days aboard the Mir space station from December 1987 to December 1988. Their mission set a record at the time for the longest continuous human presence in space, providing early data on the feasibility of extended space habitation.