Sunita Williams Joins List Of Astronauts With Longest Space Missions

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth following an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their Crew Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down off the Florida coast, concluding their mission on Wednesday. They were initially scheduled to stay aboard the ISS for just 10 days but stretched to nearly 10 months due to technical difficulties with their original return vehicle.

Spending an extended period in microgravity can be damaging to the human body. As such, both Williams and Wilmore will undergo a 45-day rehabilitation programme to readjust to Earth's gravity. During this period, medical experts will closely monitor them for potential health issues.

NASA keeps records of astronauts who have spent the most time in space, both for a single mission and over their careers. The record for the longest continuous spaceflight is held by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who spent 371 days aboard the ISS.

Peggy Whitson holds the record for the highest cumulative days in space, with a total of 675 days spent across multiple missions.

Here's a look at the record holders for both single-mission space stays and total time spent in space.

Single spaceflight

Frank Rubio: 371 days
Mark Vande Hei: 355 days
Scott Kelly: 340 days
Christina Koch: 328 days
Peggy Whitson: 289 days
Butch Wilmore: 286 days
Sunita Williams: 286 days
Andrew Morgan: 272 days
Jeanette Epps: 235 days
Matthew Dominick: 235 days
Mike Barratt: 235 days

Cumulative days in space

Peggy Whitson: 675 days
Sunita Williams: 608 days
Jeff Williams: 534 days
Mark Vande Hei: 523 days
Scott Kelly: 520 days
Mike Barratt: 447 days
Shane Kimbrough: 388 days

Spacewalk records

Since December 1998, astronauts have performed 274 spacewalks at the International Space Station (ISS), contributing to repairs, upgrades and scientific research.

Longest spacewalk: On March 12, 2001, astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms conducted the longest-ever spacewalk, lasting 8 hours and 56 minutes.

Shortest spacewalk: The shortest spacewalk occurred on June 8, 2001, when Yury Usachev and James Voss completed their mission in just 19 minutes.

Most spacewalks in a year: The highest number of spacewalks in a single year was 20, achieved in 2007.

Record for most spacewalking time by a woman: NASA astronaut Sunita Williams holds the record for the most cumulative spacewalking time by a woman, clocking 62 hours and 6 minutes, surpassing Peggy Whitson's previous record of 60 hours and 21 minutes.