Five stories that have North Texas talking: Astronaut Scott Kelly grew two inches while in space; long live cursive writing; Euless mourns a fallen police officer; and more. Kelly said while he may be getting the credit, it took a team of NASA scientists to get into space and back home. Kelly and his identical brother, Mark Kelly – who is a retired fellow astronaut and husband to former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords – will be examined by NASA doctors.
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NASA astronaut Scott Kelly successfully returned to Earth on Tuesday after spending 340 days in space onboard the International Space Station (ISS).
A lot of changes take place inside our body when it is exposed to the vastness of space. This near-absence of gravity causes astronauts’ spines to stretch, sometimes as much as three percent. “We’re not surprised he’s made history becoming the first American astronaut to complete a full year in space and we’re extremely proud of him”, he added.
Houston will be home for a while, as Scott will be undergoing weeks and months of physical, biological and mental tests, according to NASA.
Scott Kelly said a few words at the ceremony as well, thanking the people who have worked with him on the one-year mission and, like Holdren, affirming the need for NASA, the United States and the world to keep pushing out into space. Their mission has been part of an effort to study the physiological effects of long-term space travel on the human body.
While in space, the cardiovascular system does not have to work as hard as it does on Earth. Another effect is, with blood flowing more in the upper body and less in the lower extremities, astronauts often have a puffy face, and at the other end of the scale, their legs become smaller in circumference. There is also worry that radiation can accelerate coronary heart disease. On planet Earth, disks are slightly compressed due to the normal gravity, but in space, with no compression happening, those same disks expand.
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Kelly’s identical twin brother, Mark, will also be assessed to serve as the ground control subject for NASA’s study on the genetic impact of spaceflight.
