Imagine, if you will, that you have just returned to Earth after a 340-day long excursion in space; the weightlessness your every little movement knew for nearly a year is abruptly traded for gravity's languorous tugging. For a moment, just savor how heavy your limbs feel — picking up any object suddenly becomes a challenge and your muscle memory almost lets slip. The sudden shift in atmospheric tensions makes your joints ache, and your skin is protesting with a newfound burning sensation from increased contact with materials and surfaces.
These challenges and more are Scott Kelly's reality after returning from the longest stint lived in space. Kelly served as the International Space Station’s commander from March 2015 to Feb. 29, 2016, the longest time anyone has ever endured. His overall record of 520 days in space from cumulative trips, with the largest chunk coming from his most recent foray out of the ozone layer, makes Kelly the American record holder for days spent in space, only outdone by a select few Russian astronauts.
“Adjusting to space is easier than adjusting to Earth,” Kelly said at a conference held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He has also stated that “you definitely feel like jumping into a pool.” It became obvious what the first thing he wanted to do upon arriving home when he tweeted, “There’s no place like home” with the accompanying clip of him falling into his pool without even changing out of the clothes he landed in.
An astronaut, engineer and previous U.S. Navy Captain, 52-year-old Kelly was part of a study on how long-term space dwelling affects the human body and mind. For example, Scott noted that he grew an inch and a half in space from the lack of gravitational compression on his spine. Now that he has returned, his height has also begun to return to normal. By keeping detailed journals along with his busy schedule of spacewalks and spacecraft maintenance, Scott will be able to help NASA improve conditions for future astronauts and for extended periods of time.
Most specifically, however, NASA was interested in how his overall health would differ from his twin brother Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut, who remained on Earth.
Mark commented on the experience with his sense of wry humor, “Every time I would say to my brother: ‘A year is going by quickly,’ he would respond: ‘No it's not.’” Reported in USA Today, Scott noticed right away the major difference that matters to a twin brother — Mark was considerably more tan.
Scott doesn't expect to go back into orbit any time soon due to the overwhelming number of other astronauts hankering for their turn in space. However, he harbors a hope that they may use him on future trips once it becomes more open to the public.
For more information, feel free to check out NASA's official report here.