After seven months in space, Michael Lopez-Alegria missed the little things about his home on Earth, which spun lazily just 250 miles below the International Space Station. Drinking a beer. Taking a shower. Lying down to go to sleep. Even so, up until the end of his then-record-setting spaceflight in 2007, Lopez-Alegria suffered the minor annoyances of living in space as the "price of admission" to the best room in the universe.

Today, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is probably going through some of these same emotions as he matches Lopez-Alegria's 215-day spaceflight, en route to spending nearly a full year on the space station. During his unprecedented mission for a US astronaut, Kelly has garnered much attention. Earlier in October, President Obama called him for Astronomy Night at the White House, saying, "You're setting a record that's nothing to sneeze at."

When the president asked how he was feeling, Kelly replied, "Yes sir, I'm feeling great. I feel like I've been here a long time. Obviously it feels like I've got a long time ahead. But it shouldn't be a problem getting to the end with enough energy and enthusiasm to complete the job."

"Our veterans are moms and dads, they are teachers and doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs, social workers and community leaders. They are serving in state houses across the country, they are serving in Congress. You've got a proud veteran, retired Navy Captain Scott Kelly, commander of the International Space Station, who is up there right now, just became the American astronaut to serve the longest consecutive flight in space. Our veterans are already making America great every single day."

520 days and counting: Jeff Williams tops U.S. record for time in space

For the second time in less than one year, a NASA astronaut has broken the record for the most time spent in space by an American.

Jeff Williams, a veteran of four spaceflights — including his current expedition aboard the International Space Station, surpassed fellow U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly's record of 520 days, 10 hours and 30 minutes just before 5:00 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) on Wednesday (Aug. 24). When he returns to Earth next month, Williams will have logged a career total of more than 534 days off the planet.

"It is an honor to spend any day in space and certainly, to have accumulated that time is truly an honor for me," said Williams in a NASA interview recorded in July.

Scott Kelly: Hey, I wanted to congratulate you on passing me up here in total numbers of days in space. It is great to see another record broken, and especially by a Sardine.

But I do have one question for you, and my question is, you got another 190 days in you?

Jeff Williams: (laughs) 190 days in me? That question is not for me, that's for my wife.

Peggy Whitson breaks US record for most time in space by an astronaut

Peggy Whitson has made space history, again.

Currently orbiting Earth as commander of the International Space Station, Whitson on Monday (April 24) flew past the record for the most days in space by an American. At 1:27 a.m. EDT (0527 GMT), she broke the previous total of 534 days, 2 hours and 48 minutes set by NASA astronaut Jeff Williams at the end of his fourth spaceflight in September.

Whitson's cumulative, and still counting, time off the planet is just her latest record set while in space. She has broken (or added to) four other records on this, her third trip to the space station.

With Trump during the call was daughter Ivanka as well as astronaut Kathleen "Kate" Rubins (Soyuz MS-01, ISS 48/49).

The account also mentioned the following:

The president also asked Whitson about the research she is involved on the International Space Station, with the astronaut explaining that one project involves cleaning up urine to make it drinkable. "I am very glad to hear it, better you than me," Trump quipped.

Mark Vande Hei hits 300 days in space, on way to break NASA record

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei has lived in space continuously for 300 days since launching and docking to the orbiting lab on April 9, 2021. He is on his way to surpassing Christina Koch's 328-day mission on March 3 and Scott Kelly's 340 days on March 15. Vande Hei will return to Earth on March 30 with a NASA astronaut record-breaking 355 consecutive days in Earth orbit.

Vande Hei arrived at the station aboard the Soyuz MS-18 crew ship with Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov. Novitskiy returned to Earth on Oct. 17, 2021, with spaceflight participants Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko. Dubrov will remain onboard the station with Vande Hei and parachute to a landing with station Commander Anton Shkaplerov in Kazakhstan aboard the Soyuz MS-19 crew ship at the end of March.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei breaks record for longest US spaceflight

When NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei launched into space 11 months ago, he did not know how long he would be off the planet, let alone that he would be up there long enough to set any records.

But when the clock strikes 12:24 p.m. EDT (1624 GMT) today (March 15), Vande Hei will claim the title of the U.S. astronaut with the single longest spaceflight in history. At a mission elapsed time of 340 days, 8 hours and 42 minutes, Vande Hei will surpass the duration logged by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly on March 2, 2016.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei reflects on record 355 days in space

Mark Vande Hei is happy having spent almost a year in space.

A NASA astronaut, Vande Hei returned from a 355-day stay on the International Space Station on March 30. A week later, he made his first public comments about the experience, taking part in a press conference at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday (April 5).

Astronaut Frank Rubio breaks US duration record on way to spending a year in space

Frank Rubio did not set out to break a record, but today aboard the International Space Station, he will do just that.

Rubio, a NASA astronaut and member of the space station's 69th expedition crew, will become the American who has flown the longest space mission in U.S. history. At 1:39 p.m. EDT (1739 GMT) on Monday (Sept. 11), he will surpass the 355 days, 3 hours and 45 minutes logged by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei in 2022.

...one of only six people to spend a year in space

• Polyakov: 437 days
  
• Avdeyev: 379 days
  
• Titov: 365 days
  
• Manarov: 365 days
  
• Prokopyev: 371 days
  
• Petelin: 371 days
  
• Rubio: 371 days

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio of NASA answered questions about life and work on the orbiting laboratory and discussed his record-breaking mission during an in-flight conversation recorded on Sept. 5 with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei who was in Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center.

Rubio surpassed Vande Hei’s previous record for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut – 355 days – on Sept. 11. Rubio will wrap up his long duration flight on the station on Sept. 27 with a total of 371 days in space.

Secretary of the U.S. Army Christine Wormuth presents the Army Astronaut Device to Col. Frank Rubio at the Pentagon. Col. Rubio provides remarks.