Humans have been curious to explore space. They have looked at the heavens and wondered about the nature of the objects seen in the night sky. With the development of rockets in the 20th century, it became possible to send people above Earth’s atmosphere into outer space. The first such mission to venture into space was Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957.
As space technology advanced, countries took a long race to go to space. The USSR and USA have launched multiple missions to the high-sky. Some of them were short-lived, and some others lasted a year.
Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian astronaut, is on his way back home after spending 18 days at the International Space Station (ISS).
Do you know the names of other astronauts who spent the shortest time in space?
Find the list here.
1. Yuri Malenchenko – Yuri, a USSR astronaut, spent a total of seven days at ISS. He became the first person to get married in space on 10 August 2003.
2. Edward Lu – Lu is a NASA astronaut who spent the same day as Yuri did. He flew on three Space Shuttle flights and made an extended stay aboard the International Space Station.
3. William Shepherd – William, who served as commander of Expedition 1, spent eight days at ISS.
4. Thomas Reiter – Thomas Arthur Reiter is a retired European astronaut who spent 9 days at ISS.
5. Leopold Eyharts – Leopold, best known as an astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA), spent a total of 12 days in space.
First Indian Astronaut Rakesh Sharma Spent 7 Days
Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma spent 7 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes in space. Other Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who is on his way back to Earth, has spent 18 days in space.
Do you know how many days Indian-origin US astronaut Sunita Williams spent in Space?
Sunita Williams spent a total of 322 days in space over her career, with 286 days spent on her most recent mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Her recent mission was originally planned as an 8-day, but due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, her mission extended to 286 days.
Another Indian-American astronaut, Kalpana Chawla, spent a total of 30 days, 14 hours, and 54 minutes in space across her two space missions in 1997 and 2003.
ALSO READ: Shubhanshu Shukla, First Indian Ever To Reach International Space Station, Returns Tomorrow
