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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000135

Space · Human Spaceflightlongest cumulative duration

Longest Cumulative Time in Space by a Jewish Man

Record holder

Gregory ChamitoffPerson

Record value

198 days 18 hours 2 minutes

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: United StatesAchievement date: 1 June 2011Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Gregory Chamitoff

Gregory Chamitoff — record holder for “Longest Cumulative Time in Space by a Jewish Man”.NASA / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

Official record definition

The greatest cumulative elapsed time above the accepted spaceflight boundary across all completed missions by a natural man who satisfied JWR Jewish Eligibility at Achievement.

Measurement methodology

Sum of elapsed mission durations from authoritative NASA mission records, followed by a Jewish-male astronaut counter-universe comparison.

Measurement point: verified record metric at the qualifying achievement date

Record story

Gregory Chamitoff’s record is built primarily on his six-month residence aboard the International Space Station in 2008, followed by a return to orbit on STS-134 in 2011. Combined, his completed missions total 198 days, 18 hours and 2 minutes. The metric is cumulative elapsed time in space, not number of flights or time on a single mission. JWR compared Chamitoff with other documented Jewish male space travelers, including David Wolf, Garrett Reisman, Jeffrey Hoffman and Boris Volynov. His total remains the highest verified completed cumulative duration for a Jewish man. The record also reflects the transition from short Shuttle missions to long-duration habitation aboard the ISS.

Media

Record video
STS-124 Launch NASA TV Coverage — 31 May 2008. Greg Chamitoff launched on Discovery to join Expedition 17 and begin his extended ISS stay.

Gallery

  • Gregory Chamitoff
    Gregory Chamitoff, record holder.NASA / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

How JWR verified this record

Verification status
Verified
Verification date
29 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

NASA records Chamitoff’s long-duration Expedition 17/18 stay and his STS-134 flight; detailed mission accounting totals 198 days, 18 hours and 2 minutes.

Superiority evidence

A targeted Jewish-male astronaut comparison found lower completed cumulative totals for David Wolf, Garrett Reisman, Jeffrey Hoffman, Boris Volynov and other documented candidates.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Exodus in outer space — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Astronauts Chamitoff and Garan Depart NASA — NASA
  • Gregory Chamitoff NASA Biography — NASA
  • Astronaut Fact Book — NASA
  • NSS Space Forum: From Orbit to the Classroom with NASA Astronaut Greg Chamitoff — National Space Society

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Have documented contrary evidence or a stronger counter-candidate? Submit a challenge for review.

View public sourcesChallenge this record

Sources & Verification

  • Astronauts Chamitoff and Garan Depart NASA

    Official recordNASA

    What this proves: NASA summarizes Chamitoff’s career and more than 198 days in space.

  • Gregory Chamitoff NASA Biography

    Official recordNASA

    What this proves: Provides Chamitoff's mission history and astronaut biography used for cumulative-duration accounting.

  • Astronaut Fact Book

    Official recordNASA

    What this proves: Provides mission and total-time data used in cumulative accounting.

  • Exodus in outer space

    Independent publicationJewish Telegraphic Agency

    What this proves: Explicitly identifies Gregory Chamitoff as a Jewish astronaut and notes his mezuzot.

  • Greg Chamitoff profile

    Independent publicationCal Poly Magazine

    What this proves: Independent career profile with 198 days, 18 hours, 2 minutes total.

  • Gregory Chamitoff media

    Institutional archiveNASA / Wikimedia Commons

    What this proves: Provides high-resolution NASA public-domain portrait media.

  • NSS Space Forum: From Orbit to the Classroom with NASA Astronaut Greg Chamitoff

    Primary sourceNational Space Society

    What this proves: National Space Society recorded 23 February 2026 forum presents Gregory Chamitoff as NASA astronaut, engineering professor, and space educator. Distinct from record-linked NASA STS-124 mission highlights.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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