Today marks the day when Scott Kelly returned to Earth along his two crewmates after a year spent atop the International Space Station. One of the three is none other than astronaut Scott Kelly, the one who is currently holding the world record for the longest time spent in outer space (summing up about 530 days), after a nearly year-long experiment.
340 days devoted to living on the ISS with the sole purpose of research, discovery and the betterment of humanity. Scott Kelly represents a key in all of the above as his personal experience will serve our species advance and understand how our kind can survive the harsh conditions of space. Because Kelly has a biologically identical twin brother back on Earth, scientists can thoroughly study the way exposure to prolonged time spent away from the conditions of our planet can physically and psychologically alter humans.
Scott Kelly has been a vital key to raising awareness regarding the prospect of humanity in space. He became more than just a symbol or a mere name in a hall of fame thanks to his courageous mission. He became a symbol to hundreds of thousands because all along his journey, he never ceased staying in contact with planet Earth. His Twitter account is filled with daily photos taken from the ISS of our planet, our moon and the great black void that surrounds us. Kelly even did an entire Reddit AMA as well as a Tumblr series of Q&As for his fans back on Earth.
After loading into the Soyuz TMA-18M descent module, Scott Kelly and his two crewmates departed from the ISS and began their journey back home. The space capsule descended through the stratosphere and landed in Kazakhstan on Tuesday night. His reaction to coming back on Earth after so long, as he was being pulled up by medical staff in order to make sure he is alright was priceless. “The air feels great out here, I have no idea why you guys are all bundled up”, followed by pumping his fist victoriously.
While a year in space has undoubtedly been harsh and challenging, his next few months will hardly be a breeze. After 340 days spent in a no-gravity environment, away from all the things that a human being is used to and needs to thrive from a biological perspective, Scott Kelly will have to undergo intensive recovery treatments. Right after researchers perform the study on him and his twin brother who has remained on Earth this entire time.
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