The longest sustained time spent in space took place in 1994-95, when Valeri Polyakov spent almost 438 days in space. Credit: NASA The photo was taken by Vladimir Titov aboard the Space Shuttle. Born Valeri Ivanovich Korshunov, Polyakov legally changed his name after being adopted by his stepfather in 1957. Valeri Polyakov – Youth and Education. Valeri Polyakov watches from Mir as the Space Shuttle Discovery practices an approach maneuver in February 1995. Polyakov was born in Tula in the USSR on 27 April 1942. Meet the real ironman of spaceflight: Valery Polyakov He spent 438 days in space and then stood up and walked away from his spacecraft. 4, from which he graduated in 1959. Valeri Polyakov is currently the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Public Health in Moscow, overseeing programs of medical care during long-term space flights. Eric Berger - Mar 7, 2016 4:25 pm UTC. Valery Vladimirovich Polyakov, (born April 27, 1942, Tula, Russia, U.S.S.R.), Russian cosmonaut who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight in history.. Polyakov had an early interest in spaceflight, and in 1971 he joined the Institute of Biomedical Problems … Astronauts, however, experience weightlessness for much longer periods. Dr. Polyakov is also active in fostering international cooperation and contributes to the medical safety of international space programs. The photo was taken by Vladimir Titov aboard the Space Shuttle. The last time anyone spent a year in space was in 1999. He was educated at the Tula Secondary School No. The Russians hold the world record; Valery Polyakov spent nearly 438 days on the Mir space station in the 1990s.