He is modest, quiet, friendly and a mechanical engineer by profession. He is ALSO the most experienced astronaut in the whole world. Oleg Kononenko flew to space five times and made seven spacewalks. In total, he lived and worked more than 1,100 days in space. Aboard the space station ISS, he had a total of 55 different ‘roommates’ from 13 countries. In 2011, he was André Kuipers' commander. ‘I fly to space because that is what I love most, not to break records,’ Oleg said of what he has achieved. 'As a child, I dreamed of becoming a cosmonaut. That goal has motivated me all my life.' Did you know this about Oleg? - He is the first astronaut to live in space for a total of more than 1,000 days. It is now more than 1,100! - Oleg was selected as a cosmonaut back in 1996. It was only in 2008 that he flew his first space mission. - On 31 December 2018, he showed a flag of Turkmenistan aboard the ISS. After all, Oleg has many fond memories of his childhood in that country. - From 2023 to 2024, Oleg was in space for a year at a time. - In his youth, he played volleyball at a high level. He loves team sports and reading. - Oleg flew enough kilometres through space for a hundred return trips to the moon, a trip to Mars or even a one-way trip to Jupiter! - He celebrated four of his birthdays in space.