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In March 2015, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly was launched to the International Space Station, and his mission was to evaluate what happens to the human body and mind when in space for long periods of time. Kelly returned to Earth this week, 2 inches taller and with a lot of information that could help humanity reach Mars in the 2030's -- here are 6 highlights from his mission!
1. Kelly's Space Photos
It's a new day! Good morning from @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/l83D9w0m0A
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) February 16, 2016
Kelly, who's not only committed to his actual job as an astronaut but also to showing others how things are beyond the confines of Earth, often took to Twitter to share what life looked like from the ISS, along with some beautiful shots of Earth.
Astronauts get to witness some of the most beautiful sights in their lifetimes, and now, with social media, they can share some of those things. According to Collect Space, the astronauts and cosmonauts at the ISS see 15 or 16 sunrises and sunsets every single day, and the sight just doesn't get old in the numerous snaps from outside our planet.
Sure, other astronauts like Samantha Cristoforetti have also shared snaps of how our world looks when circling it several times a day, but these beautiful sights are always appreciated.
2. Kelly's Late Show Appearance For years, Stephen Colbert has made it clear he's not only into space, but he's super really into space, and he's talked about some of the big scientific discoveries about space a lot, like that time he interviewed Neil DeGrasse Tyson when the New Horizon reached Pluto. So when Colbert got to interview Kelly during the Year In Space mission, he was definitely psyched about it.
The interview, which included a number of hilarious title cards, like one beneath Kelly reading "Weightless" and another one underneath Colbert reading "Holiday Weight," had the astronaut trying really hard not to burst out laughing at the late-night show's jokes, while he asked whether he already had "space madness."
It's downright adorable in its geekiness -- it features some of the giddiest moments from Colbert and shows off how sweet a guy Kelly seems to be.
3. This Beautiful Homage
Sad to learn of the death of musician @DavidBowieReal whose inspiration lives on "far above the world" #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/4PhrmbsTpM — Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 11, 2016
While news of David Bowie's death was shaking Earth, one guy beyond our planet was paying his respects as well. Tweeting out a beautiful photo, the NASA astronaut quoted Bowie's iconic song "Space Oddity," from literal space.
Bowie's career was filled with a lot of space-inspired things, and a few years back, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield sang the same song from the ISS, but seeing it quoted from space right after his death was a touching moment.
4. Kelly Tweeting Up the White House
.@POTUS Thank you, Mr. President. For your support & for your phone call as I fly home at a lower altitude tonight! pic.twitter.com/nQYq3gNIZI
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) March 3, 2016
President Barack Obama was very aware of Kelly's super-important mission, and he'd check in with the astronaut every few months to keep updated and to make people's hearts melt along the way. On his first day back on Earth, Kelly got a call from the President to thank him for his hard work up there in the ISS.
4. Anything Showing Off ISS' Weightlessness
When things don't go sour in every possible way like it happened to Sandra Bullock in Gravity, weightlessness is a beautiful, fascinating thing that most of us won't get to experience in our lifetime, so it's always amazing to see it actually occurring, without any green screens or weird lighting involved.
Of course, weightlessness can be witnessed on every one of Kelly's videos from his year-long mission, but it looks even better in videos like this jokey one with the "space ape" and the fascinating clip of liquid ping pong.
5. When Kelly's Brother Literally Fooled Rocket Scientists
Just a couple of future @NASA astronauts from New Jersey! cc: @StationCDRKelly #TBT #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/8llblhYsR5 — Mark Kelly (@ShuttleCDRKelly) March 4, 2016
All right, this didn't exactly happen in space, but it's still sweet and hilarious.
One of the reasons Kelly was chosen to go on the yearlong mission was that he has an identical twin brother, Mark, who's also an astronaut. Since the beginning, part of the idea of having Scott sent up there was so NASA could have side-by-side comparisons of the twins, one on Earth and the other in space.
Being identical, though, the one staying back home decided to have a little fun with some of the brightest minds in the world. Right after the launch, Mark shaved off his mustache, the only thing that set him apart from his brother, and showed up at NASA, shocking everyone because, hey, that guy should be in space right now.
Good old-fashioned twin-switching fun, kind of like space Parent Trap!
In any case, the information Kelly came back with will play a major role in the space program's future, particularly on NASA's dreams of finally sending a manned mission to Mars by the 2030s. Welcome home and thanks for your hard (space) work!
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