US Astronaut With Record Space Stay Retires

(Image source: Reproduction / Wikimedia Commons)

NASA has announced that the US astronaut with the most space travel has just retired. Michael López-Alegría, 53, has 257 days out of orbit in 10 trips. Most of that time comes from a mission at the International Space Station (ISS), which he commands for seven months.

According to Peggy Whitson, head of the Johnson Space Center's Astronaut Office, "Mike has been a great asset to the astronaut office throughout his career." Alegría also worked on training new travelers to ISS and Mir, the Russian government's space base.

Michael holds a postgraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from the US Naval Graduate School and Harvard. Now that he is retired, he is the second astronaut to spend more time in space, behind only Russian Anatoly Soloviev.