Featured Image Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA/Handout / peepo
The cosmonaut who bravely made a risky and terrifying move to escape a blob growing outside of the International Space Station has now broken a major space record.
Oleg Kononendo conducted a spacewalk in October 2023 to fix a leak from a radiator.
But when out there, the cosmonaut noticed a strange globule believe to be formed from residual ammonia coolant.
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Having no idea who dangerous the blob could be, Kononendo heroically unclipped himself from his tether to escape.
The risky move meant that if the cosmonaut lost his grip of the spacewalk, he could end up floating away into outer space.
But Kononenko was able to free himself from the tether and carefully make his way back into the safety of the ISS.
The incredibly brave act meant that the cosmonaut avoided the risk of spreading the dangerous substance to his crew mates.
Luckily, it was a success and the tether was placed in a secure bag in case of contamination.
The radiator is said to have since been fixed but it is still unknown what the cause of the initial leak was.
Now, Kononendo has broken a major record, becoming the first person to spend a cumulative 1,000 days in space.
The 59-year-old reached this milestone while on his current mission aboard the ISS, which he started in September 2023 and will end a later year in September this year.
By the time he touches down on Earth again, his total number of days spent in orbit will have reached 1,110.
The Russian Mission Control, Roscosmos, released a statement, saying: “Today at 00:00:20 Moscow time, Roscosmos state corporation cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, who currently works at the International Space Station has booked a record of 1,000 days for the first time in the world in terms of total spaceflight duration.”
The cosmonaut has been on five missions to the ISS, his first one launching in April 2008.
Speaking to TASS, he said: “I fly into space to do what I love, not to set records. I've dreamt of and aspired to become a cosmonaut since I was a child.
“That interest - the opportunity to fly into space, to live and work in orbit - motivates me to continue flying."
Unlike cosmonauts, NASA astronauts usually spend a maximum of six months onboard the ISS at a time.
Although, astronaut Frank Rubio spent 371 consecutive days in space before returning home to Earth in September 2023 after his mission was extended.
