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European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti has been on the International Space Station for almost 200 days, meaning she’s now spent longer in space (continuously) than any other female astronaut.

Cristoforetti has smashed the record of 195 days set by NASA’s Sunita Williams back in 2007. And, by the time she descends back to Earth inside the Soyuz spacecraft on Thursday (June 11), she’ll have spent a full five days more than Williams in space - bringing her total to exactly 200 days.

The achievement was only possible because of an unexpected delay to her mission after Russia’s Progress 59 resupply spacecraft failed to arrive at the orbiting laboratory.

In her time on the ISS, Cristoforetti has been something of a social media star - photographing, filming, tweeting and Vining her out-of-this-world experience - just like her predecessor Chris Hadfield.

Early Thursday June 11, Cristoforetti will board the Soyuz rocket along with her colleague Terry Virts and Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov and return to Earth in a nail-biting 3.5-hour journey.

Completing the longest mission in space of any female astronaut isn't the only record she’s broken, it’s also the longest single mission for an Italian astronaut and an ESA astronaut.

Here are her best moments:

Showing how astronauts go to the loo

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Let’s face it, we all want to know how astronauts do their business in zero gravity. So thank Sam for releasing a ‘Toilet Tour’ video, showing the bizarre contraptions used in the bathroom.

Both “number ones” and “number twos” involve scary-looking suction devices. Men and women alike must hold a funnel-like cup to their bits while urinating - and the device slurps the wee down for recycling back into fresh water.

Meanwhile pooping involves perching on a more conventional throne - but one fitted with a vacuum sucker. The bum babies get locked into a bag to avoid any unpleasant floating turd scenarios.

Taking a Star Trek selfie

Cristoforetti posted a picture of herself in a full Star Trek "uniform" with planet Earth hanging majestically in the background.

"'There's coffee in that nebula'..ehm, I mean...in that #Dragon" Cristoforetti wrote, referring to the Dragon space capsule that brought supplies and an espresso machine to the orbiting space station.

Serious Trek fans will notice that the black and red top Cristoforetti is wearing is similar to those worn on Star Trek: Voyager - the fourth series in the long-running space franchise.

And the phrase "there's coffee in that nebula," was uttered by character Kathryn Janeway who captained the USS Voyager during the series.

Getting a haircut in space

Getting your haircut in space is tricky as you need to make sure you don’t end up with floating locks that can clog up the air supply system.

Astronauts have to cut each other’s hair using a combination of clippers or scissors and a vacuum system that sucks the hair up as soon as its snipped.

Cristoforetti was a willing volunteer in a demonstration of the process - receiving a mop chop from her colleague Terry Virts.

Showing off her incredible view during the solar eclipse

(Image: ESA)

Atro-Sam took time out of her busy research schedule to snap a few photos from the window of the ISS during the solar eclipse.

They showed the shadow cast by the moon over a large patch of Earth.

Snapping 'super typhoon' Maysak

When a monstrous ‘super typhoon’ hit the Pacific, demolishing everything in its wake, our astronaut friend was there to document the sheer scale of it.

She took some incredible shots and posted them to her Facebook page, along with the message: "It commands respect even from space."