Valery Polyakov , record-breaking Russian cosmonaut dies

MOSCOW: Russian cosmonaut, Valery Polyakov,  who holds the record for the longest-ever trip to space has died aged 80, BBC reported.

He spent 437 days orbiting the Earth between 1994 and 1995 on the Mir space station, it said.

Valery worked on experiments to see whether people could maintain their mental health if they were to make a long journey to Mars, according to the report.

Tests found that there was no impairment of his cognitive function as a result of his 14-month expedition.

Polyakov’s death was announced by the Russian space agency, which used his honorary titles, including the hero of the Soviet Union and pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR.

Polyakov was born in 1942 in Tula, a city to the south of the capital Moscow, qualifying first as a physician and then as a cosmonaut.

He was launched on his first mission in August 1988, spending eight months in orbit.

It was his flight six years later that earned Polyakov his record for the longest trip to space, which still stands to this day.

Polyakov lived and worked on the Mir space station from 8 January 1994 to 22 March 1995, reportedly orbiting the Earth more than 7,000 times.

(Inputs from BBC)