Samantha Cristoforetti in 2015 Set a New Record for the Longest Space Flight for a Woman (199 days 16 hours)

Samantha Cristoforetti in 2015 set a new record for the longest space flight for a woman (199 days 16 hours). On November 23, 2014, she and two other astronauts were launched from Kazakhstan and reached the International Space Station. The Italian astronaut was to return to earth in May 2015, but setbacks occurred in the rockets meant to bring them back. Interesting tidbit: she became the first person to brew an espresso coffee in space. Another interesting tidbit: American astronaut Peggy Whitson broke Cristoforetti’s record in April 2017.