Nasa astronaut Frank Rubio breaks US record for longest space flight

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  Spending time in space for an extended period of time can lead to stresses and strains on body and mind beyond those faced on Earth. All photos: Nasa

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  Astronauts lose muscle mass in space because the lack of gravity makes tasks less physically demanding

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  Normal exercise equipment relies on gravity, but on the ISS, the astronauts push against what are, in effect, large springs

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  Expedition 36 flight engineer Karen Nyberg washes her hair in space in 2013

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  Mark Vande Hei swaps over components on an advanced new toilet installed inside the ISS Tranquility module, believed to be the most expensive toilet ever assembled

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  Expedition 50 crew members celebrate Thanksgiving in space in November 2016, with rehydrated food

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  Nasa astronaut Kjell Lindgren poses for a portrait inside a crew sleeping bag on the ISS

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  Expedition 66 crew members gather for a Thanksgiving meal inside the ISS Unity module

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  Science conducted on the ISS offers researchers an unparalleled opportunity to test physical processes in the absence of gravity

Nasa astronaut Frank Rubio now holds the record for the longest US space flight.

Mr Rubio surpassed the US space endurance record of 355 days on Monday at the International Space Station.

He arrived at the outpost last September with two Russian cosmonauts for a routine six months. But their stay was doubled after their Soyuz capsule developed a coolant leak while parked at the space station.

The trio will return to Earth on September 27 in a replacement capsule that was sent up empty for the ride home.

By then, Mr Rubio will have spent 371 days in space, more than two weeks longer than Mark Vande Hei, the previous US record holder for a single space flight.

Russia holds the world record of 437 days, set in the mid-1990s.

“Your dedication is truly out of this world, Frank!” Nasa chief Bill Nelson said via X, formerly known as Twitter.

A replacement crew of two Russians and an American is set to launch to the station from Kazakhstan on Friday.