WALL – It was announced that Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, who was among those who welcomed the first Turkish astronaut Alper Gezeravcı to the International Space Station (ISS), broke the world record with the longest stay in space. Russian space agency Roscosmos announced that 59-year-old Kononenko broke the record of Gennady Padalka, who stayed in space for a total of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds.
The number of days Kononenko spent in space is expected to reach 1000 on June 5.
‘I AM PROUD OF MY ACHIEVEMENTS’
Speaking to the TASS news agency from the International Space Station (ISS), which is 423 kilometers above the earth, the cosmonaut said, “I am going to space to do what I love most, not to break records.” Kononenko said, “I am proud of my achievements. But there is something I am even more proud of, and that is that the record for the total time spent by human beings in space is still held by a Russian cosmonaut.”
‘NO ONE WILL GIVE ME BACK THIS TIME’
Saying that he constantly exercises to eliminate the physical effects of the zero-gravity environment, Kononenko said, “I do not feel depressed or isolated. However, when I return home, I will realize that my children have grown up without a father during my hundreds of days of absence. No one will be able to give me back this time.”
Kononenko, who set foot on the International Space Station in 2008, is currently on his fifth mission. While it is known that Kononenko’s mission will last another six months and then he will return to earth with Soyuz MS-25 on September 23, he is expected to become the first person to spend a total of a thousand days in space on June 5, 2024.
(FOREIGN NEWS SERVICE)
2024-02-04 13:45:08
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