For most of us , just spend a individual day in space would be a once - in - a - lifetime experience . So put on your envious lid for NASA ’s Jeffrey Williams on the International Space Station ( ISS ) , who has now spend more than 521 twenty-four hours in space . This make him the US astronaut with the most time in infinite – but his phonograph recording wo n’t last too long .

Williams broke the record yesterday , taking him past the previous record bearer , Scott Kelly , who had been in space for 520 days across four mission , include theYear in Space missionthat saw him remain on the ISS for 12 month along with cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko . Williams has do the same feat also across four mission , with this being his third long - length stay of about six month on the ISS .

“ I wanted to plume you on pass me up here on total act of day in space , ” Kelly told Williams in acall to the stationfrom mission control , after the latter had broken the platter . “ It ’s smashing to see another record broken . ”

Williams is go down to return to Earth on September 6 , which will give him a total of 534 mean solar day drop in space . His first mission was aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis in May   2000 , helping machinate the ISS for continuous human occupation , which began on November 2 that yr . He follow that up with three stays aboard the ISS , across which he do four spacewalks .

As name , though , the record will be short - lived . On November 16 , American Peggy Whitson is scheduled to launch to the ISS for her third stoppage on the post . She has already been in space for 376 days , and this former flight will see her clock up to560 days , giving her the fresh disk for retentive meter spent by an American in space .

While impressive , this pales in comparison to the all - time record – 879 days in space , set by Russian Gennady Padalka across five mission . He shared fourth dimension on the ISS with Scott Kelly last yr . The longest undivided spacefaring go to Valeri Polyakov , who spent almost 438 days aboard the Mir place place in 1994 and 1995 .

But , for now , hats off to Williams . He ’s now the most experienced US cosmonaut – for another half a year or so , anyway .