Astronaut Breaks US Record: 521 Days in Space and Counting
FILE - In this Friday, March 18, 2016 file photo, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams, a member of the main crew of the mission to the International Space Station (ISS), waves prior his rocket launch at the Russian-leased cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. On Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, Williams, commander of the ISS, marked his 521st day in orbit, accumulated over four flights. That surpasses the 520-day record set by Scott Kelly, whose one-year space station mission ended in March. AP Photo/Kirill Kudryavtsev, Pool
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Astronaut Jeffrey Williams has a new record for NASA under his space belt.
The commander of the International Space Station marked a U.S. recording-breaking 521st day in orbit Wednesday, a number accumulated over four flights. That surpasses the 520-day record set by Scott Kelly, whose one-year space station mission ended in March.
By the time Williams returns to Earth in two weeks to close out his latest half-year trip, he will have logged 534 days off the planet for NASA.
His record won’t last long. Space station veteran Peggy Whitson will top that after she flies up in November for another six-month stay. She’s already at the 377-day mark for total space time, a record for a woman. And even that won’t come close to the world record of 879 days held by Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka—a total of 2 ½ years.
Astronaut Jeff Williams monitors bowling ball-sized internal satellites known as SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) during a maintenance run in the International Space Station's Japanese Kibo Laboratory Module. NASA via AP
