After a year in space Astronaut Scott Kelly is back to Earth

Image: NASA

A year in space is indeed a very long time, but Astronaut Scott Kelly has made it successfully back to earth after spending a long time on International Space Station. He landed in Kazakhstan at 11:26 pm after completing nearly a year (340 days to be precise!) in space. His journey has brought NASA closer to sending more astronauts on long journeys into space.

Kelly has established few records to his name. he is the first American astronaut to have spent so many consecutive days in space. Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov still holds the international record for spending 437 days on Mir Space Station. Kelly is also the first American to most total number of days on space i.e., 540. Russian Astronaut Gennady Padalka holds the international record for spending a total of 879 days.

The mission was organized by NASA as a part of scientific experiment to study microgravity effects on human body. The observations will help NASA in preparing astronauts for longer stays at Mars. It is a known fact that space has harsh effects on human body. Muscles and bone atrophy suffers in less gravity, astronauts can suffer from insomnia and diminished eyesight. NASA doctors want to study how these factors affect humans over a year. They’re trying to make longer space flights comfortable for astronauts. But, answers are yet to come.

Kelly said, “The thing I like most about flying in space is not the view, or floating, or the other stuff that’s fun about this – riding the rocket and coming back to earth.”

NASA said on its website, “While scientists will begin analyzing data from Kelly and  [fellow year-long ISS crew member Mikhail Kornienko] as soon as they return to Earth, it could be anywhere from six months to six years before we see published results from the research.”

The comparison for the study will be drawn from Kelly’s twin brother Mark. During the mission, blood, stool, urine and saliva samples from both Kelly and Mark were regularly examined. Scientists are now looking for any signs of DNA damage, inflammation, and cellular ageing and microbiome changes. The scientists are also hoping to study the effects of radiation on human body.

Kelly said at his last press conference while he was on ISS, “Physically I feel pretty good. The hardest part is being isolated in a physical sense from the people on the ground that are important to you. There’s a loss of connection with folks on the ground that you care for and love and you want to spend time with, which is a challenge.”