The United States Senate honored the return of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly by passing a resolution when he stayed almost a year in space.
Among those public officials who welcomed Kelly's return from the International Space Station were senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez of New Jersey. Kelly also hails from West Orange in Essex County where the officials were proud to welcome back the New Jersey native space explorer, after spending approximately 340 days in lower Earth orbit.
Sen. Booker manages the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which also supervises NASA, had filed this resolution last March 1, just hours before the American astronaut left the orbiting space laboratory for his journey back home. Kelly landed safely in Central Asia in Kazakhstan and returned to the U.S. after a day.
On Wednesday, this resolution was passed that highlights the return of Kelly which is considered to be a proud moment for the whole state of New Jersey and also for representing science and exploration. Sen. Menendez says that it is important that as a nation, we have to stand up and recognize greatness to inspire our children and future generations of what is possible when we strive for excellence.
Kelly's main mission in space was a crucial part of NASA's plan to send the first humans to Mars by the 2030s, demonstrating the effects of microgravity environments and harsh space conditions to the human body and its physiological whole.
Part of this study coincided with his identical twin, Mark Kelly, who is also a NASA astronaut, to provide clearer insight about the extreme effects of space and zero gravity on the human body, based on the data of Scott Kelly's twin.
Since 1999, this is the longest duration of any human in space along with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. During a video press conference, Kelly revealed that he is willing to stay another year in space, but only if he needs to. The ISS is currently in orbit, located some 240 miles above the planet.
After shortly arriving a week ago, he reveals he is now experiencing certain ailments such as sore muscles and joints including skin issues which Kelly says that he did not expect, since he already spent prior missions in space. Kelly is now scheduled to undergo multiple medical tests for a whole year.
Scientists and researchers conducted a series of tests on Kelly during his stay at the space station, including a team from the University of Pennsylvania, as Kelly diligently took tests involving his ability to recognize and interpret emotions using facial expressions. According to Mathias Basner from the University of Pennsylvania, if you are flying to Mars and you cannot read your fellow astronauts' facial expressions, this can lead to unnecessary conflicts.