THE view may be to die for, but imagine being away from home for over two years, living on rehydrated meals and strapping yourself to a vacuum every time you need the bathroom. Does it sound like something from outer space? Well, it is: this is the daily reality for Oleg Kononenko (59), the Russian cosmonaut who’s made history as the person who’s spent the longest time in space – 879 days in total as of 4 February when the record was announced.
He set it while orbiting 423km from Earth during his fifth space flight. “I fly into space to do my favourite thing [his job],