26 Facts About Valeri Polyakov

Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut.

Valeri Polyakov is the record holder for the longest single stay in space, staying aboard the Mir space station for more than 14 months during one trip.

Valeri Polyakov's combined space experience was more than 22 months.

Valeri Polyakov returned to Earth 240 days later aboard TM-7.

Valeri Polyakov was born in Tula in the USSR on 27 April 1942.

Valeri Polyakov was educated at the Tula Secondary School No 4, from which he graduated in 1959.

Valeri Polyakov dedicated himself to the field of space medicine in 1964 after the flight of the first physician in space, Boris Yegorov, aboard Voskhod 1.

Valeri Polyakov was selected as a cosmonaut in Medical Group 3 on 22 March 1972.

Valeri Polyakov spent approximately 437 days aboard Mir, conducting experiments and performing scientific research.

On 9 January 1995, after 366 days in space, Valeri Polyakov formally broke the spaceflight duration record previously set by Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov six years earlier.

Valeri Polyakov returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-20 on 22 March 1995.

Valeri Polyakov volunteered for his 437-day flight to learn how the human body would respond to the micro-gravity environment on long-duration missions to Mars.

Data from Valeri Polyakov's flight has been used by researchers to determine that humans are able to maintain a healthy mental state during long-duration spaceflight just as they would on Earth.

Valeri Polyakov underwent medical assessments before, during, and after the flight.

Valeri Polyakov underwent two follow-up examinations six months after returning to Earth.

When researchers compared the results of these medical exams, it was revealed that although there were no impairments of cognitive functions, Valeri Polyakov experienced a clear decline in mood as well as a feeling of increased workload during the first few weeks of spaceflight and return to Earth.

Valeri Polyakov's mood stabilized to pre-flight levels between the second and fourteenth month of his mission.

Valeri Polyakov retired from his position as a cosmonaut in June 1995, with a total of just over 678 days in space.

Valeri Polyakov participated in experiment SFINCSS-99 in 1999.

Valeri Polyakov was the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Public Health in Moscow, where he oversaw the medical aspects of long-duration space missions.

Valeri Polyakov was a member of the Russian Chief Medical Commission, participating in the qualification and selection of cosmonauts.

Valeri Polyakov held membership in the International Space Researchers' Association and the International Academy of Astronautics.

Valeri Polyakov died on 7 September 2022 at the age of 80.

Valeri Polyakov won several awards for his spaceflight and academic achievements, including the Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Russian Federation, Order of Lenin, Order of the Legion of Honour, and the Order of Parasat.

Valeri Polyakov was a member of organizations related to astronautics, including the Russian Chief Medical Commission on cosmonauts' certification.

Valeri Polyakov held the title of "Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR" and published several works pertaining to life sciences, medical aspects of space missions, and the results of research conducted on long-duration spaceflights.