Just weeks after returning to Earth following a nearly one-year stint on the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronaut Scott Kelly has announced his plans to hang up his spacesuit on April 1, officials at the agency confirmed in a Friday night press release.
Kelly, who joined NASA in 1996 and is currently the record holder for the most time spent in space by an American (540 days), will continue to provide medical samples and support testing as part of the ongoing research associated to his 340-day stay on the ISS, the agency said.
“This year-in-space mission was a profound challenge for all involved, and it gave me a unique perspective and a lot of time to reflect on what my next step should be on our continued journey to help further our capabilities in space and on Earth,” Kelly explained in a statement.
“My career with the Navy and NASA gave me an incredible chance to showcase public service to which I am dedicated, and what we can accomplish on the big challenges of our day,” he said. “I am humbled and excited by new opportunities for me to support and share the amazing work NASA is doing to help us travel farther into the solar system and work with the next generation of science and technology leaders.”
A look back at Scott Kelly’s long, illustrious career
Kelly was born on February 21, 1964 in Orange, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor degree in electrical engineering from the State University of New York Maritime College in 1987 and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1996.
The father of two daughters, Scott Kelly joined NASA in April 1996 after several years of service in the US Navy. During his career as an astronaut, he flew in space four times, with the first on the space shuttle Discovery crew that traveled to the Hubble Space Telescope as part of STS-103 in 1999. His first trip to the ISS came as commander of the STS-118 mission in 2007.
Most recently, he agreed to spend nearly an entire year on the space station as part of a project to see what impact such a prolonged stay in microgravity would have on the human body. While he was orbiting the Earth, his twin brother Mark remained on the ground so that scientists could see how the different environments affected the anatomy and physiology of two astronauts.
“Scott’s contributions to NASA are too many to name,” said Brian Kelly, director of Flight Operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. “In his year aboard the space station, he took part in experiments that will have far-reaching effects, helping us pave the way to putting humans on Mars and benefiting life on Earth.”
“His passion for this work has helped give hundreds of thousands of people a better understanding of what NASA does, thanks in part to the numerous photos and updates he shared from space,” Brian Kelly added. “We appreciate his years of service and anticipate many benefits to come from them, thanks to the research he’s supporting.”
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Image credit: NASA/Scott Kelly
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