Astronaut Scott Kelly has shared countless stunning images from the worldwide Space Station during his year in space. Astronauts typically spend no longer than five to six months at a time in space.
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When he gets back, doctors will compare his health to his twin brother Mark’s to see if the prolonged space flight had any adverse effects.
NASA hopes to send people to the Red Planet by the 2030s. “And as long as they have that going, maybe they can do all the hard work and the years of work that it takes to be an astronaut, if that’s what they choose to do”.
The record for longest single spaceflight was previously held by American astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, who spent 215 days in space as commander of the ISS in 2006.
The qualifying adjectives specifying this is an American record is necessary-Kelly is sharing this year-in-space with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko.
Duration records for single-spaceflights by American astronauts.
But if NASA wants to know what outer space can do to a body after a long time, it should just ask the Russians. And Gennady Padalka, who recently stayed on the ISS with Kelly, has spent a combined 878 days in space. In March 2016, when he finally touches down on Earth, he should have 522 days of living in space under his belt.
Kelly is set to return to Earth in March after spending a year in space as part of a NASA study to understand the effects of long-term space flight on the mind and body.
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A second spacewalk is scheduled for November 2, when NASA eclipses 15 years of having a human presence aboard the space station.
