Annals of Achievement–New American Record For Sitting Around In Space: In space, they can’t hear you scream…of boredom. American astronaut Michael Foale, currently camped out in the International Space Station, has now spent more than 231 days of his life in the black void. It took Foale six missions to earn this distinction, and the old record holder, astronaut Carl Walz, was kind enough to call. Foale’s magnaninous reply (astronauts are not known for a lack of ego): “Carl, that’s awfully big of you to come along and grovel like this on radio.” Okay, he was joking and he has nothing on the Russians when it comes to hanging around in crappy space vehicles contemplating the cosmos, because the Russian–and world–record is 748 days. Don’t think Foale is crazy enough to go for that one. He and crew-mate Alexander Kaleri are due back on terra firma next April…..



“I love zero gravity….Know what I mean, Alexi?”

“Get your hand off my ass, Comrade.”

(Photo: Space.Com)