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[h=4]NASA's Scott Kelly is back in the U.S., after a year in space[/h]Welcome home, Scott Kelly.
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Astronaut Scott Kelly landed in Houston early Thursday, just one day after returning to Earth following 340 days in orbit. Kelly thanked everyone who he worked with in the past year and commented 'it was a very long trip.' (March 3) AP
In this photo provided by NASA, International Space Station crew member Scott Kelly of the U.S. gestures after landing near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, March 2, 2016.(Photo: Bill Ingalls, AP)
The man who set the record for the most consecutive days in space by an American<span style="color: Red;">*</span>made it<span style="color: Red;">*</span>home to the U.S. on<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Thursday.
Astronaut Scott Kelly, who landed in Kazakhstan from the International Space Station on Tuesday, touched down at Ellington Field in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Houston at around 2.15 a.m. ET.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Kelly and his identical brother, Mark Kelly<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— who<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is a retired fellow<span style="color: Red;">*</span>astronaut and husband to former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— will be<span style="color: Red;">*</span>examined by NASA doctors.
Scott Kelly's adventure in the skies was part of a study of twins. Mark remained earthbound for his part of the study, that will allow scientists to pinpoint the effects of space travel on the human body in preparation for a crewed mission to Mars. Specifically, NASA is looking at the effects of space radiation, as well as the effect of long-term isolation on mental health.
One obvious<span style="color: Red;">*</span>change for Kelly was that he<span style="color: Red;">*</span>came back 2 inches taller than his<span style="color: Red;">*</span>brother because a lack of gravity causes spinal disks to expand.
USA TODAY
Scott Kelly tweets inspiring, silly #YearInSpace
Vice President Biden's wife, Jill, joined Mark, and a group of students on a tour of NASA's Mission Control Center — as well as a full-scale model of the International Space Station<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as they awaited Kelly's arrival. Mark Kelly said his brother was anxious to get home and joked that he still hadn't showered since returning.
“It’s been a long trip,” Scott Kelly said after arriving in Houston.
“When I left here in February I was 50 and now I’m 52. It’s great to be back in Texas, on U.S. soil. It’s an unbelievable feeling to be back here on Planet Earth, back in our great country and back with all my family and my friends.”
He paid tribute to people including<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is girlfriend Amiko, daughters Samantha and Charlotte, brother Mark and the rest of his family and friends. He also paid tribute to Biden and NASA <span style="color: Red;">*</span>Administrator Charles Bolden.
Welcoming Kelly home, Jill Biden said: "You’re truly an inspiration to all of us. I brought you some beer and apple pie, nothing’s more American than that.”
President Obama called Kelly Wednesday to welcome him back to Earth and to thank him for "inspiring a new generation of young people"<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to pursue careers in math and sciences. Obama said the data from Kelly's trip will help achieve his<span style="color: Red;">*</span>vision of sending American astronauts to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mars by<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the 2030s.
Contributing: William Cummings and Melanie<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Eversley<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
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