The cosmonaut from Russia holds the record for the longest consecutive stay in space. Valery Polyakov, a cosmonaut from Soviet-era Russia who set the record for most consecutive days spent in space, has died at the age of 80.
Cosmonaut Valery Polyakov, who logged the single longest stay in space, has died at the age of 80. Polyakov launched on two missions to the space station Mir. In total, he was off Earth for 678 days.