All Astronauts
ELITEIn MemoriamROS
ELITEIn MemoriamROSRoscosmos·🇷🇺 Russia·Born 1942
Valery Polyakov
Holds the record for the longest single spaceflight: 437 days aboard Mir (1994–1995).
1.9y
Years in Space
2
Missions
0
EVAs
—
EVA Time
We can fly to Mars.
Inspirations
What they aspire to
He hoped to prove the human body could withstand the journey time required to reach Mars.
Biography
Holds the record for the longest single spaceflight: 437 days aboard Mir (1994–1995). A physician by training, he studied long-duration spaceflight effects on himself.
Before NASASoviet physician who specialized in space medicine at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems before being selected to the cosmonaut Medical Group in 1972.
Notable Missions
Mir EO-3Mir EO-15/16/17
Beyond the Mission
Causes They Champion
Human spaceflight medicineMars mission readiness
Languages
Russian
Awards & Honors
- Hero of the Soviet Union
- Hero of the Russian Federation
- Order of Lenin
Fun fact
After his 437-day mission he refused to be carried from the Soyuz capsule and walked unaided to a chair — proving cosmonauts could function on Mars after a long transit.
From the cockpit
“We can fly to Mars.”
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