Christina Koch to Become the First Woman to Stay in Space for the Longest Timespan

Do you want to see something cool? Astronaut Christina Koch broke women's record for the longest space flight ever. The NASA astronaut Christina Koch has spent 290 days so far since March 14 in space and she's expected to return in February 2020. 

She broke the record of Peggy Whitson, who spent 288 days in space between 2016-2017.

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The longest spaceflight record of the U.S.A. was broken by Scott Kelly in 2015-2016 with 340 days.

NEW RECORD! NASA astronaut @Astro_Christina now has a place in the record books for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, eclipsing former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson’s record of 288 days. @AstroPeggy went back to zero gravity to say #CongratsChristina. pic.twitter.com/Z7XWNCeDhi

— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) December 28, 2019

The holder of the world record for the longest stay in the space is Valeri Polyakov, who spent more than 14 months aboard the Mir space station.

Students and professors from @NCSSM and @NCState, @Astro_Christina’s alma mater, are saying #CongratsChristina today as she sets a new record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. pic.twitter.com/cmUtq0xhw3

— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) December 28, 2019

This mission of Koch will help NASA about the effects of long-term spaceflights; which will be helpful for future explorations on Mars and Moon. 

Koch said to CNN, “Do what scares you. Everyone should think about what intrigues them and what draws them in."

“Those things can kind of be scary a little bit, but they usually mean that you’re interested. And if it’s just outside what you think is attainable for you and you reach it, it really pays dividends in more ways than one. It can be rewarding for you personally, and it usually means that you’re giving something back to the world in the maximum way possible.”