Astronaut stranded in space for 311 days after his country stopped existing while he was in orbit

An insane story.

In 1991 Sergei Krikalev was aboard the Mir space station for a huge 311 days.

The Washington Post reported that the mission to the Soviet Union's Mir space station was only supposed to be five months long.

However, shockingly during his time in orbit, the Soviet Union dissolved, leaving him with no nation return to.

The collapse of the Soviet Union not only reshaped geopolitical landscape but resulted in direct consequences for the mission.

The spaceport and landing zones that were planned to be used by the astronaut were now located in Kazakhstan, a country which had declared its independence.

Additionally, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and its economic chaos left little money to bring Krikalev back to Earth.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2015, Krikalev recalled his reaction to the situation.

"It was a long process, and we were getting the news, not all at once, but we heard about the referendum, for example.

"I was doing my job and was more worried about those on the ground—our families and friends—we had everything we needed!"

Regardless of all the changes back on Earth, he remained focused on his duties.

After months of uncertainty, as well as international negotiations, Krikalev eventually returned to Earth in March 1992, after an extraordinary 311 days in space.