posted 10-15-2015 08:41 PM               

Kelly yesterday (Oct. 13) also passed the 200-day mark of his (almost) year-long increment aboard the multi-national orbiting outpost. And in two weeks' time, at 12:04 a.m. EDT on Thursday, 29 October, he will also exceed the 215-day record of Mike Lopez-Alegria for the longest single space mission ever flown by an American citizen. In doing so, this month, Kelly becomes the first U.S. astronaut to set a new national record on both fronts, since Carl Walz, more than a decade ago.

posted 10-16-2015 02:13 PM               

Astronaut Scott Kelly sets new U.S. record for time spent in space

A NASA astronaut on a nearly year-long mission has set a new record for the most time spent off the Earth by an American citizen.

Scott Kelly, who is currently serving as commander of the International Space Station's Expedition 45 crew, marked the 200th day of his 342-day mission on board the orbiting outpost on Tuesday (Oct. 13). Two days later, he passed the record for the total cumulative time in space by a U.S. astronaut of 381 days, 15 hours and 11 minutes, including the 180 days on his previous three missions.

"Records are meant to be broken. Look forward to one of my colleagues surpassing [mine] on our Journey to Mars!" Kelly wrote on Twitter on Friday (Oct. 16).

posted 10-29-2015 09:17 AM               

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."

posted 11-11-2015 11:03 AM               

"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."

posted 08-24-2016 04:00 AM               

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.

posted 08-24-2016 10:42 AM               

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.

posted 04-24-2017 09:35 AM               

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.

posted 04-24-2017 12:07 PM               

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.

posted 02-03-2022 11:46 AM               

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.

posted 03-15-2022 12:00 AM               

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.

posted 04-05-2022 03:38 PM               

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).