Valery Polyakov, the Soviet cosmonaut who set the record for the longest single stay in space, has died at the age of 80, Russia's space agency announced Monday.
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Polyakov's record of 437 days in space began on January 8, 1994, when he and two others launched on a two-day flight to the Soviet space station Mir. While on Mir, he orbited the Earth more than 7,000 times before returning on March 22, 1995.
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Upon landing, Polyakov refused to be transferred from the Soyuz capsule, as is common practice to allow for readjustment to the pull of gravity. He was helped up on his own and walked to a nearby transport vehicle. Polyakov had trained as a doctor and wanted to prove that the human body could withstand extended periods in space.
Polyakov previously spent 288 days in space on a mission that took place in 1988-89.
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The statement from the Roscosmos did not mention the cause of death.
Source of information: abcnews.go.com
