A moment with Scott Kelly...

On March 27, 2015, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will launch to the International Space Station, beginning a one-year mission in space, testing the limits of human research, space exploration and the human spirit.

We took a moment with Kelly to find out how he got to where he is now - getting ready to launch on a rocket and live in space for a year. Watch....

While Scott Kelly is in space, his identical twin brother, retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, will participate in a number of comparative genetic studies. Some of these experiments will include the collection of blood samples as well as psychological and physical tests. These tests will track any degeneration or evolution that occurs in the human body from extended exposure to a zero-gravity environment. The new twin studies are a multi-faceted national cooperation between universities, corporations and government laboratory expertise. Learn more: www.nasa.gov/oneyear

All research gathered from both the American and Russian crew members will be shared between the countries, an important step in reducing cost and improving efficiency for all future space station research.

Kelly's Russian counterpart, Kornienko, also sat down with us to talk about how he became a cosmonaut starting with souvenirs from his father as a child. Watch...

A number of spaceflight endurance records will be broken during the one-year mission, including the most cumulative time in space for any U.S. astronaut. Kelly and will spend 342 days off the planet resulting in a total of 522 days in space, allowing him to surpass current U.S. record holder Mike Fincke’s mark of 382 days. The current record for the longest single mission aboard the space station set by NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin will also be broken. Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka will launch with Kelly and Kornienko to remain aboard for six months and will become the new record holder for most cumulative time spent in space by any human.

The one-year crew mission is the latest step in the International Space Station’s role as a platform for preparing humanity for exploration into deeper space. With the collaborative efforts of the international crew and research teams, the world can watch and benefit from findings that are pushing the boundaries of exploration while contributing to human health.

To learn more about the one-year mission and why we are doing it, watch this video for the story behind it....


www.nasa.gov/oneyear