Astronaut Record Stay in Space

American cosmonaut Jeff Williams sets off for the International Space station with his Russian counterparts Oleg Skriprochka and Alexey Ovchinin. The trio will join NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and British astronaut Tim Peake about six hours after takeoff from Kazakhstan. His previous missions were flown aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in 2000, as well as a trip in 2006 when the station was far smaller, with only two modules and three crew members. In 2009 and 2010, Williams served as a flight engineer for three months and later commanded the ISS for the remainder of his half-year mission. This trip will mark his first visit to the ISS since it was completely assembled, and he intends to document the history of the space station for followers on Earth during his trip. Williams, who is married and has two adult sons, is scheduled to return to Earth in September. By the end of his half-year mission, Williams will become the American with the most cumulative days in space 534.