Scott Kelly gives us all the feels as he hands over control of the space station

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Scott Kelly coming back to earth today .

The past 12 months have been some of the very best of all time when it comes to space exploration. Sure, we didn't walk on the Moon, but we did have a very close encounter with Pluto, grew crops in space, and started the hiring process for the first manned mission to Mars. And through it all, astronaut Scott Kelly has been orbiting Earth on the International Space Station, providing us with incredible images and setting the American record for the most time in space.

Sadly all good things must come to an end, and in preparation for his departure back to Earth on March 1, Kelly handed over command of the International Space Station to NASA astronaut Tim Kopra just a few hours ago. For anyone like us who's followed the almost year-long journey of Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko so far, the ceremony below is pretty emotional.

Even if you haven't heard of the record-breaking Year in Space mission until now, you have to admit that spending 340 days straight on a spacecraft roughly the size of a football field is pretty impressive - not to mention the fact that Kelly drank an estimated 730 Litres of his own sweat and urine during the mission - all so he could help scientists back on Earth figure out what long-term space travel does to the body.

In the ceremony, Kelly thanks Kornienko ('Misha' for short) and admits goodbyes are always "bittersweet when you're leaving this incredible place". Kornienko will be travelling back to Earth on March 1 along with Kelly and cosmonaut Sergey Volkov, who's been on the space station with them for the past six months.

"Obviously, you know, Misha and I have been up here for a really, really long time and recently we've been joking with each other that we'll say something like 'We did it!' or 'We made it!'" says Kelly in the ceremony below. "But we both recognise that this is a lot more about teamwork and all the people that it takes to put these missions together and be successful than it is about us."

"Spaceflight is the biggest team sport there is, and it's incredibly important that we all work together to make what is seemingly impossible possible," he adds.

No, we're not crying, it's just allergies.

Once Kelly lands, NASA scientists will begin to assess the toll that space has had on his body, and compare him closely with his twin brother Mark Kelly, who stayed firmly on Earth throughout the year in space.

What we learn about the impact of microgravity and space travel during such long missions will help us better understand how to keep humans healthy on the way to Mars - and maybe one day even further into the Solar System.

As NASA control tells Kelly and Kornienko at the end of the handover: "What you have provided for our human spaceflight endeavours has been monumental ... We look forward to seeing you back safe on the ground and back in Houston."

Here's a hero, signing off:

[video=youtube;p-SzZXTKWS0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-SzZXTKWS0[/video]

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/march-...tronaut-scott-kellys-return-after-yearinspace
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March 1-4 TV Coverage of Astronaut Scott Kelly's Return after #YearInSpace
ASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko


NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko marked their 300th consecutive day aboard the International Space Station on Jan. 21, 2016. The pair will land March 1 after spending a total of 340 days in space.

NASA Television will provide complete coverage Tuesday, March 1, as three crew members depart the International Space Station, including NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos – the station’s first one-year crew.

NASA Television coverage will begin at 3:10 p.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 29, when Kelly hands over command of the station to fellow NASA astronaut Tim Kopra. Coverage continues through Kelly's return to Houston Wednesday and post-flight briefings on Friday. Complete coverage is as follows:

Monday, Feb. 29

3:10 p.m. -- Change of command ceremony (Scott Kelly hands over space station command to Tim Kopra)
Tuesday, March 1

4:15 p.m. -- Farewell and hatch closure coverage; hatch closure scheduled at 4:40 p.m.
7:45 p.m. -- Undocking coverage; undocking scheduled at 8:05 p.m.
10:15 p.m. -- Deorbit burn and landing coverage; deorbit burn scheduled at 10:32 p.m., with landing at 11:25 p.m. (10:25 a.m. on March 2, Kazakhstan time)
Wednesday, March 2

1:30 a.m. -- Video file of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities
11:45 p.m. -- Live coverage of Kelly's Return to Houston (based on current landing and transportation plans). Second Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Dr. John P. Holdren, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, and Kelly’s identical twin brother and former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly will be in Houston to welcome Kelly home. The event will be pooled press only.
Friday, March 4

11 a.m. --NASA scientists and medical doctors from NASA’s Johnson Space Center will answer questions about the science behind the one-year mission on Reddit.com. Submit questions at http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA.
1 p.m. -- Media Briefing: Key members from NASA’s science community will discuss the research accomplishments and the next steps for the more than 400 experiments that took place during Kelly’s year in space. The briefing participants are:
Julie Robinson, International Space Station Program chief scientist
John Charles, Human Research Program associate manager for international science
Mark Kelly, brother to Scott Kelly, Twins Study participant and former NASA astronaut
2 p.m -- Media Briefing: Scott Kelly will share his personal perspective on the mission and answer questions about his time at the space station. To participate in the news conferences from a NASA facility, U.S. media must call that location’s public affairs office by 5 p.m. Thursday, March 3. To participate by phone, media must call the Johnson newsroom no later than 15 minutes before each briefing. Those following the briefing on social media may ask questions using the hashtag #askNASA.

NASATV

 

[Zyraz]

Sore, but no taller, astronaut Scott Kelly adjusts to Earth

US astronaut Scott Kelly said Friday he is battling fatigue and super-sensitive skin, but is back to his normal height after nearly a year in space.

Kelly's 340-day mission -- spent testing the effects of long-term spaceflight ahead of a future mission to Mars, along with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko -- wrapped up early Wednesday when they landed in frigid Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz spacecraft.

One of the effects of spending such a long time in the absence of gravity was that Kelly's spine expanded temporarily, making him grow 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters), only to shrink as he returned to Earth.

His twin brother, Mark Kelly, said they were the same height again by the time they hugged in Houston early Thursday.

According to John Charles, human research program associate manager for international science at NASA, any height gain "probably went away very quickly because it is a function of fluid accumulation in the discs between the bones in the spinal column."

Kelly also said reports he had grown a full two inches (5.1 centimeters) were exaggerated.

"I don't know where that came from. I did measure myself and it was an inch and a half, so maybe somebody just decided to just round up and write it as a fact," he told reporters in his first extended media appearance since his return.

The specifics are important because a team of doctors is carefully researching the genetic, physical and psychological differences between Kelly and his twin, who is also an astronaut but who stayed on Earth to take part in the study.

- 'Better tan' -

The details of those ongoing studies are secret for now, as scientists will do further analysis and submit their findings for peer-review before publication.

The idea is to learn more about the harmful effects of spaceflight before NASA greenlights any deep space mission to an asteroid or Mars, journeys that would last a year or more.

The study includes frequent MRIs of the twins' organs and major vessels, genetic analysis and a close examination of the effects of radiation, which in high enough doses can lead to cancer.

Asked if the brothers noticed anything else different about each other upon being reunited, Scott answered: "He's got a better tan."

A veteran of four space missions, 52-year-old Kelly returned to Earth with the record for the longest amount of time spent in space by an American -- 520 days. A Russian cosmonaut holds the all-time record.

"It seemed like I'd lived there forever. It was longer than I thought it would be. But having flown before, I did pace myself appropriately," he told reporters.

- Burning soreness -

Kelly had previously spent six months at the orbiting research lab, and was somewhat prepared for the effects of returning from microgravity.

"Initially this time, coming out of the capsule, I felt better than I did last time," when his mission lasted 159 days, he said.

But that soon changed.

"My level of muscle soreness and fatigue is a lot higher than it was last time. Maybe there is a linear function to it," he said.

"I also have an issue with my skin, that because it hadn't touched anything for so long -- like any significant contact -- it is very, very sensitive. It is almost like a burning feeling wherever I sit or lie or walk."

Kelly added that he was wearing dress shoes only because of his televised appearance, and that a more comfortable pair was waiting nearby.

Other changes he noticed were in his fine motor skills. He said he tried to shoot some hoops but missed the basket each time.

Kelly, who recently wore a gorilla suit in space to chase a fellow astronaut as a joke, also poked fun at himself for his first choice of food upon returning to Earth -- a banana.

"It looked so good," he said.

"As soon as I ate half of it, I recognized the irony."



Astronaut Scott Kelly: Muscle soreness 'a lot higher than last time' after year in space
Washington (UPI) Mar 5, 2016 - Scott Kelly is feeling the effects of his year-long mission in space a few days after returning to earth, he told the media Friday.
Kelly spoke about his return to earth at a NASA news conference and said his most recent stint on the International Space Station was the most taxing on his body, adding that it felt much longer than 340 days.

"I think the only big surprise was how long a year is," Kelly said according to the New York Times. "It seemed like I lived there forever. It seemed longer than I thought it would be."

His body exhibited various symptoms as it readjusted to the earth's gravity. He experienced fatigue and said soreness in his atrophied bones and muscles was, "a lot higher than last time." He also described a burning feeling on his skin, after experiencing far less physical contact while in orbit.

Some changes to his body that occurred in space were also quickly reversed, as kelly grew about two inches in space but returned to his previous height as gravity compressed his spine.

"He's been squished back to normal height," said Kelly's twin brother and retired astronaut Mark.

The brothers will undergo a series of medical tests as part of NASA's "Twins Study" to see how their body's measure up after spending a year in the varied environments of Earth and space.

"By looking at Mark's results collected over the course of the year, we can see what the normal variations might be," NASA researcher Dr. John Charles said. He added that comparing that standard to Scott's changes "will tell us what areas to investigate in the future."

NASA hopes to apply the data collected to study the viability of future missions to distant locations such as Mars.

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