Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov
Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov was a Soviet and Russian physician-cosmonaut whose career is central to the medical history of long-duration spaceflight. He still holds the record for the longest single human spaceflight, a 437-day Mir mission from 1994 to 1995.
- Born
- April 27, 1942
- Died
- September 7, 2022
- Birthplace
- Tula,Soviet Union
Flights
2
Spacewalks
N/A
EVA time
N/A
In space
678 days, 16 hours, 33 minutes
Bio
Polyakov was born Valeri Ivanovich Korshunov in Tula and later changed his surname after adoption by his stepfather. He trained as a physician, specialized in space medicine, and was selected as a medical cosmonaut in 1972, making him part of the Soviet effort to understand how humans could survive and work during very long missions.
His first flight launched on Soyuz TM-6 in 1988 and returned on Soyuz TM-7 in 1989 after about 241 days aboard Mir. He monitored crew health and participated in medical research during a period when Soviet crews were pushing toward year-long station operations.
His second flight launched on Soyuz TM-18 in January 1994 and returned on Soyuz TM-20 in March 1995. Polyakov volunteered for the extended mission to study whether humans could remain functional after a Mars-length transit, and he deliberately walked after landing to demonstrate postflight capability.