Russian cosmonaut sets record days in space

MOSCOW - Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev has set a record for the most days spent in space, clocking almost 748 days over a 20-year career.

Krikalev, scheduled to remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) until October, beat the previous record of 747 days 14 hours 14 minutes and 11 seconds held by fellow Russian Sergei Avdeyev, mission control said.

Krikalev's space travels have included stints on the MIR space station - the crown jewel of the Soviet space program which was destroyed in 2001 - as well as the ISS, and he has traveled on US shuttles and Russian Soyuz spaceships.

The 46-year-old made his first long-duration mission to MIR in 1988.

- REUTERS