Susan Helms (along with Jim Voss) broke the longest duration spacewalk record on march 11 2001, during STS 102 on her second day of a 6 months long stay aboard ISS (expedition 2): it lasted just 4 minutes short of NINE hours!!!!
It may not have been intended that way as they ran into some trouble, but almost 9 hours in a spacesuit in the vacuum!! That's about as long as Shirra's Sigma 7 Mercury flight.
A spaceflight is exciting when it involves a spacewalk. Astronauts who spend months in space invariably mention the spacewalk (if they have their first one, then) as THE highlight of their life.
I think a lot of effort should be made on the spacesuit....Could astronauts spend a whole day in the vacuum of space, not only getting air and water but also food when they link up with a tank that can help them refill their spacesuit while outside?
A spacesuit being a small spacecraft, that would help in the design of the larger spacecraft anf the type of mission.
8 hours 56 minutes outside in the vacuum