1942-

Russian Cosmonaut

Dr. Valery Vladimirovich Polyakov—physician, researcher, and cosmonaut—holds the record for human longevity in space. In 1994-95 Polyakov spent 437 days and 17 hours in space, the longest uninterrupted time by an individual human being. His total space time (678.7 days) is second only to fellow cosmonaut Sergei Vasilyevich Avdeyev (1956- ).

Polyakov was born April 27, 1942, in the town of Tula, located in the Russian Republic of the former Soviet Union. After completing high school, Polyakov went to Moscow, where he received a medical degree in 1965 from the I. M. Sechenov Medical Institute. He has taught and conducted research in leading Russian medical and biological institutes, as well as the Russian Mission Control Center in Moscow. In 1972 Polyakov was selected to become a cosmonaut and began a rigorous training program at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. At the same time he continued his...