🚀 In an out-of-this-world achievement, 59-year-old Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has just become the first person ever to spend a whopping 1,000 days in space! 🌌✨
Kononenko hit this cosmic milestone on Tuesday, marking a stellar career that includes five epic journeys to the International Space Station (ISS) since 2008. Talk about living among the stars! 🌠
His latest space adventure began on September 15, 2023, when he blasted off alongside NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara and fellow Russian Nikolai Chub. It's like the ultimate space squad assembling for another galactic mission! 👩🚀👨🚀💫
Back in February 2024, Kononenko first set the record for cumulative time in space, surpassing the previous mark of 878 days set by Gennady Padalka in 2015. If he wraps up his current mission as planned on September 23, 2024, he'll have clocked an unbelievable 1,110 days orbiting Earth. That's over three years among the stars! 🌎⏳
\"There's this awareness that you have achieved something new and important, that you've overcome a certain milestone, touched the unknown,\" Kononenko shared with Russian state news agency TASS. \"It gives you confidence, and pride in the work you've done.\" 🛰️💪
He also mentioned that his American colleagues on the ISS were among the first to high-five him (virtually, of course) on his incredible achievement. 🤝🇺🇸🇷🇺
Despite earthly tensions, the ISS remains a beacon of international cooperation. The U.S. and Russia continue to work closely above us in space, showing that even when things get complicated down here, humans can still reach for the stars together. 🌐✨
Reference(s):
Russian cosmonaut becomes first person to spend 1,000 days in space
cgtn.com
