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NASA Astronaut Jeff Williams Sets New US Space Endurance Record With 521 Days (cbsnews.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the record-breaking dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBS News: Space station commander Jeff Williams set a new U.S. space endurance record Wednesday, his 521st day in orbit over four missions, eclipsing the 520-day record set earlier this year by astronaut Scott Kelly at the end of his nearly one-year stay aboard the lab complex. Williams now moves up to 17th on the list of the world's most experienced astronauts and cosmonauts. The overall record is held by cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, who logged 878 days in orbit over five missions. Williams, Soyuz TMA-20M commander Alexey Ovchinin and flight engineer Oleg Skripochka were launched to the space station March 18. They plan to return to Earth Sept. 6 (U.S. time), landing in Kazakhstan to close out a 172-day mission. At landing, Williams will have logged 534 days aloft, moving him up to 14th on the space endurance list. Williams first flew in space in 2000 aboard the shuttle Atlantis, the third shuttle flight devoted to station assembly. He served as a flight engineer aboard the station in 2006 and completed a second long-duration stay in 2010, serving as a flight engineer and then commander of Expedition 22. "I wanted to congratulate you on passing me up here in total number of days in space," Kelly radioed Williams Wednesday. "It's great to see another record broken. [...] But I do have one question for you. And my question is, do you have another 190 days in you?" Kelly was referring to the time Williams' current mission would have to be extended to equal Kelly's U.S. single-flight record. Williams laughed, saying "190 days. That question's not for me, that's for my wife!"

2 of 44 comments (clear)

  1. Re:not beat russia by smooth+wombat · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Americans, including their next president, Hillary, can only win by rigging the system or adjusting the wording.

    Says the Russian troll whose dear leader rigged the entire country so he will be leader for life with no one able to run against him because he decides who can stand for election.

    Whatever happens in the U.S. is child's play compared to the vast and endemic corruption Putin has made an art form.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  2. By God men, we can't allow a time-in-space gap! by sabbede · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The Soviets will destroy us all with their superior number of days in orbit! We must close this gap lest we lose this Cold War!

    Oh, right, I forgot it wasn't 1982 anymore. And that despite all our disagreements, we and Russia are a team in this regard with each new record representing a victory for humanity in which we all share.

    Damn good job Jeff, we're proud of you. Gennady, that is so mind mindbogglingly impressive! We're damn proud of you too!