Japanese astronauts clocked their collective 494th day in space on 24 July, passing Germans, with 493, to make Japan the third most space-faring country. As of 10 August it had reached 511 days. Japan has no hope of catching up with Russia's 20,817 days or the United States' 14,820, but International Space Station schedules show that Japanese astronauts will keep a firm grip on third place. China will become the next contender for high honours later this decade, as it establishes its own space station.
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