NASA ISS Astronaut Breaks Record For Longest Stay In Space

NASA astronaut Christina Koch has officially broken the record for the longest stay in space by a woman. She surpassed the record while she’s on her extended mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

On Dec. 28 at 7:16 p.m. EST, Koch officially became the female astronaut who has embarked on the longest mission space. Previously, that record was held by NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who spent a total of 289 days, five hours and one minute in space.

“Having the opportunity to be up here for so long is truly an honor,” Koch told the press according to Space.com. “Peggy is a heroine of mine and has also been kind enough to mentor me through the years, so it is a reminder to give back and to mentor when I get back.”

Koch is currently on her third expedition on the ISS. She officially joined the massive orbiting station on March 14 earlier this year. Originally, Koch was only supposed to spend about six months on the station. However, due to scheduling issues, NASA decided to extend her stay on the ISS. Due to her extended mission, Koch is actively taking part in a study that analyzes the effects of long-duration spaceflights on the human body.

With her extended stay on the ISS, Koch is expected to live and work aboard the ISS until February next year. Once she completes her mission, she will have spent a total of 328 days in space. This is almost as long as NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s own record for the longest single spaceflight, which is 340 days.

Although spending almost a year in space is extremely challenging, Koch that she’s motivated to accomplish it because she is hoping that her actions will inspire others.

“Outreach, because it gets the conversation going about the state of the art, where we are in human exploration,” she said. “And inspiring, because I think as a milestone it can motivate people.”

“It also motivates me, because on those rough days I remind myself that, 'You know, this hasn't been done before, it makes sense that it is hard.' It makes sense that I have to dig deep sometimes,” Koch added.