Cosmonaut Valery Polyakov
Cosmonaut Valery Polyakov, before the launch of the Soyuz TM6 mission to the Mir Space Station. Polyakov launched with two other cosmonauts from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on 29th August 1988 and docked with Mir on 31st August. Polyakov, a doctor, remained on Mir to monitor the health of the crew, returning to Earth on the 27th April 1989. Polyakov holds the record for the longest spaceflight in human history, staying aboard Mir for 14 months between January 1994 and March 1995.