Valeri Polyakov, a Russian cosmonaut, broke a record for the longest single spaceflight in human history when he returned to Earth on March 22, 1995, after spending 437 days aboard the Mir space station.
After returning to Earth, Polyakov didn’t experience any long-lasting performance issues.
These results led researchers to the conclusion that stable mood and general functioning may be preserved during lengthy spaceflights, such as manned expeditions to Mars.
Valeri Polyakov health: What happened to Valeri Polyakov afer speding 14 months in space?
In order to better understand how the human body might react to the microgravity environment on lengthy journeys to Mars, Polyakov volunteered for his 437-day flight.
Medical exams were performed on Polyakov before, during, and after the flight. Six months following his return to Earth, he underwent two more follow-up exams.
Researchers analyzed the findings of these medical examinations and found that, despite the absence of any cognitive function deficits, Polyakov had a noticeable fall in mood and a sense of increased workload during the first few weeks of spaceflight and upon return to Earth.
However, between the second and fourteenth months of his mission, his attitude did begin to settle to pre-flight levels.
Upon returning to Earth, Polyakov also experienced no significant performance issues for an extended period of time.
