Astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth today after an unprecedented year in space for NASA, landing in barren Kazakhstan with a Russian cosmonaut who shared his whole space station journey.
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West Orange plans to “roll out the red carpet” to honor hometown son Scott Kelly when the astronaut pays a visit, said Mayor Rob Parisi on Thursday, praising Kelly for his recent 340-days-in-space mission.
Jill Biden also took time to welcome Scott back, “On behalf of President Obama, our First Lady Michelle Obama, our Vice President my husband and all Americans, I want to congratulate you on your year in space and you truly are an inspiration to all of us”.
“Astronauts get taller in space as the spine elongates”, Williams said, “but they return to preflight height after a short time back on Earth”.
“One of the things that I thought about a lot during this year, is that there is no greater privilege than serving your country, however and wherever you might do it. This mission is the latest achievement in our county’s space program, but it’s not be the last”. “I have no idea why you guys are all bundled up”. The normal increment is about six months, and that’s a long time.
“A year now seems longer than I thought it would be”, Kelly said a couple weeks ago. “The cold air. Fresh air”. “I missed everyone very much”.
Human metabolic and cardiovascular health in space could now be more closely studied than in previous astronauts, because while Kelly was orbiting Earth, his genetic makeup was simultaneously living here in his twin. “This is an unforgettable feeling”, Kornienko said.
With his successful return to Earth, Kelly has now spent a whopping 520 total days in space, which is the most of any USA astronaut; Kornienko, meanwhile, has spent 516 days in space, while Volkov has nearly 550 under his belt.
The world’s longest missions were carried out by four Soviet-era cosmonau-ts aboard the now-defunct Mir space station, including a flight from January 1994 to March 1995, spanning almost 438 days by record holder Valeri Polyakov, a physician.
Kornienko and Kelly both had the longest stays aboard the International Space Station.
“My brother @StationCDRKelly is back home on our planet!”
“I’m going to go home and jump in my pool”, he said.
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“Nothing more American that that”, she said.
