After handing over the proverbial keys to the International Space Station (ISS) to fellow astronaut Tim Kopra, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, along with cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov, returned to Earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-18M, touching down in Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan last night at 11:26 p.m. EST.
Kelly, who won R&D Magazine’s 2015 Scientist of the Year Award, returned to Earth after spending 340 days in space, surpassing the American record of 215 days, which was set by astronaut Michael López-Alegría between 2006 and 2007. The international record still stands at 438 days, set by cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, who set the record aboard the Mir space station between 1994 and 1995.
Kelly has accumulated the most days spent in space by any U.S. astronaut with 520 days.
“Scott Kelly’s one-year mission aboard the ISS has helped to advance deep space exploration and America’s Journey to Mars,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a statement. “Scott has become the first American astronaut to spend a year in space, and in doing so, helped us take one giant leap toward putting boots on Mars.”
Over the course of Kelly’s trip, the ISS crew performed close to 400 investigations, including research into how long-term spaceflight affects aspects of the human body. Kelly and his twin brother, former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, participated in NASA’s first integrated omics study, an attempt to understand how prolonged spaceflight changes a human down to the cellular level.
There is a myriad of ways Kelly’s body could have changed while in space. Fluid shifts caused by the microgravity environment could have put pressure on Kelly’s optic nerves causing visual impairment; environmental factors aboard the ISS could affect his microbiome; additionally, the confined environment could have taken a toll on his behavioral health.
Further, reduced gravity could cause bone density loss, and shrink muscle fibers. At over 200 mi above Earth, astronauts have an increased risk of radiation exposure. Without the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere, astronauts may face increased lifetime risks for cancer, and central nervous system and degenerative diseases.
Besides the human body research, Kelly participated in experiments pertaining to the usage of autonomous swarms of satellites, and captured spectacular images of the planet, among other feats.
With six resupply missions during his time aboard ISS, Kelly took control of the ISS’ robotic arm, which is meant to intercept incoming spacecraft.
He also spent time outside the ISS, participating in three spacewalks. The missions consisted of a variety of maintenance tasks, including restoration of the ISS to full solar power-generating capability and restoring functionality to the Mobile Transporter system.
This Friday, NASA TV will air two briefings regarding Kelly’s mission, and discuss the next steps for the roughly 400 investigations. The briefings will be held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Mark Kelly; ISS Chief Scientist Julie Robinson; and John Charles, of the Human Research Program, are scheduled for 1 p.m. At 2 p.m., Scott Kelly will brief the public on his perspective regarding the year in space mission.
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