How to prepare for a trip to space

With more people having access to space travel today than ever before, successful and safe spaceflights require varying levels of preparation before launch day. At the same time, long-duration space missions can be mentally challenging, given the prolonged isolation, confinement, and separation from family and friends. (Astronaut Frank Rubio recently set the record for longest American space mission with 371 consecutive days in space; cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who logged 437 continuous days in orbit on Russia’s Mir space station between 1994 and 1995, still holds the world record.) Commercial astronauts often receive more generalized training that covers the basics of space travel and safety/emergency procedures. As more people travel to space, on an expanding range of flight vehicles and for varying types of missions, spaceflight preparation too will undoubtedly continue to evolve.