RUSSIAN COSMONAUT-PHYSICIAN Valeri Poliakov (right) is expected to break the record for the longest manned space-flight, when he reaches 366 days in orbit on 9 January - exceeding the year in orbit spent by the Soyuz TM4 crew, Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov, in 1987/8. Poliakov, who was launched to the Mir 1 space station on 8 January 1994, aboard the Soyuz TM18, has hosted crews from the TM19, including Yuri Malenchenko (left), and the TM20. He is already the most traveled human being in history - he will have flown 606 days on two missions by 9 January. Poliakov is scheduled to return to Earth on 21 March, completing a 437-day mission and 677 days of space flight.
Source: Flight International
