Astronaut Mark Kelly and twin help study effects of space missions







“It wasn’t actually my idea,’’ Scott said. “I asked the question when I was assigned to this one-year flight whether any study like this would be done, and the answer I got was there was nothing being considered. Then the scientists took my question, went back and talked about it, and thought that maybe it did have some merit.”

Scott Kelly aboard the Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft on docking day with the International Space Station on Oct. 9, 2010.

The hope is that Scott’s prolonged exposure to conditions in space can demonstrate some of the effects astronauts could experience on a potential mission to Mars. He has previously had a six-month stint aboard the ISS and also has completed a pair of space-shuttle flights in his career. 

“For me, having flown a long-duration flight before, on a personal level what makes it special is the duration, and the challenge that provides,’’ Scott said. “From a scientific perspective, certainly the research about having a person spend longer than we’ve ever had an American spend in space is important because eventually we’re going to go to Mars, leave lower Earth orbit, and we need to have that experience base of people living in space for much longer lengths of time.

“A flight to Mars and back could take three years, so the science value I think is pretty important. And also the science value of this particular study will allow us to learn things to help with those types of long-term missions.”

Mark retired from NASA in 2011 to be with Giffords, who was shot in the head in Tuscon, Ariz., in January 2011 and has made a remarkable recovery.


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