As the astronauts fall closer to Earth, they’ll experience g-forces 3.8 times that of Earth’s gravity, “which is crushing”, according to Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, especially compared to the microgravity environment the astronauts will have experienced during their many months on the space station.
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But the hardest part of all, he said, is being separated from his loved ones, a situation that will pose even more of a challenge for astronauts sent to Mars. Furthermore, he hopes his work can help make it easier to plan for how future astronauts will get to the red planet. For a comparison, NASA estimates it would take 5,250 trips between Los Angeles and NY aboard an airplane to get the same radiation exposure as Kelly has been exposed to during his yearlong mission.
“I could go another year if I had to. It’s kind of like I’ve been in the woods camping for a year”.
Some of the memorable sights from space included auroras and Hurricane Patricia in October, Kelly said.
Still, homesickness is real in space.
Kelly said the hardest thing about life in space is probably being isolated from the people he cares about the most…and also, missing certain amenities.
Tacos in space? So much for the image of astronauts giving up all the luxuries of earth to explore the final frontier on our behalf. Kelly and fellow ISS crew member Mikhail Kornienko spent almost a year in space to further scientists’ understanding of the effects of long-term space living on the human body and psyche. And though Kelly feels good, he says the year in space has affected his vision and given him some cabin fever. “It’s not necessarily uncomfortable, but it is a harsh environment”. For instance, having no running water.
“After being here for so long, that’s one thing I definitely realize that, you know, if we can dream it, you know, we can do it if we really want to”, he said. That’s the size of his “crew quarters”, the private space allotted to USA astronauts on the space station.
The results will help inform a future mission to Mars or another deep space destination.
The space-bound Kelly will take blood samples just before each time a shuttle returns to earth during his tenure, allowing scientists to study fresh, unfrozen cells just hours after they’re drawn. “There are parts of the Earth that are covered with pollution all the time”. This is a human effect. “You can tell that’s not a natural phenomenon”. We’ve gone from “Houston, we have a problem” to “El Paso, time for lunch!”
“On a trip to Mars, we’re not going to have this much space, obviously”, he said.
Kelly isn’t bringing back any souvenirs – this is his fourth mission in space, after all – but he’s looking forward to returning some personal items when he lands. By the time Kelly checks out Tuesday and rides a Russian capsule to a landing in Kazakhstan, his mission will have lasted 340 days. “This has been my life … and I want it to be part of the rest of my life”. Even so, he said, events from last summer or fall seem like forever ago. A field test after the astronauts return will measure the time it takes for them to perform simple tasks.
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You can check out Kelly and Kornienko’s home journey live on NASA TV next Tuesday March 1, with farewells and hatch closure on the ISS kicking off at 4:15pm ET.
