Valery Polyakov, the Russian astronaut who set the record for the longest time spent in space, has passed away at the age of 80.
Valery Polyakov spent 437 days aboard the Mir space station from January 1994 to March 1995. He orbited the Earth over 7,000 times before returning to the surface.
Russian astronaut Valery Polyakov.
Polyakov was trained as a doctor and aimed to demonstrate that the human body could endure long durations in space.
Upon landing, Polyakov refused to be assisted out of the Soyuz capsule to allow for a gradual adjustment to gravitational pull. Instead, he was helped to exit the capsule and walked unaided to a nearby transport vehicle.
Previously, he spent eight months in space during a mission from August 1988 to April 1989.
Valery Polyakov received numerous awards and medals for his contributions to the space programs of the former Soviet Union and Russia, including the titles of Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of the Russian Federation, along with the Lenin Prize.
The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced the passing of this former astronaut on September 19.
According to The Moscow Times, Roscosmos stated in a press release: “His research helped demonstrate that the human body is ready not only for travel to low Earth orbit but also for deep space exploration.”
The statement did not specify the cause of his death.
