When astronauts return from extended stays in space, they are often removed from their capsules and placed on stretchers. Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, stranded in March 2025, were no exception. The effects of long-term spaceflight on the human body are an area of ​​active research. The current record for the longest continuous stay in space belongs to Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who spent 437 days—just over 14 months—aboard the now-defunct Mir space station in 1994 and 1995.