NASA astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth Tuesday night after spending a historic year in space, setting the U.S. single-trip record, a trip he documented on social media.
Kelly gave a speech after he returned to Houston.
My first #sunset on #Earth in #Norway on my way home! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/RHHJJ972ci
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) March 2, 2016
The veteran astronaut commanded the International Space Station during his 340 days above Earth.
Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko ran a number of experiments designed to test the effects of long-term space travel on the human body. Scott and his brother Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut, were chosen for the experiment since they’re twins and thus provide more useful data than two unrelated people.
Tomorrow we bring @StationCDRKelly home. What a ride he took us on! Explore all 1,000 of his tweeted photos here: https://t.co/ERdoNojdGe
— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) March 1, 2016
Kelly flies home to Houston on Wednesday, where he will be greeted by family and friends, including Dr. Jill Biden.
.@POTUS Thank you, Mr. President. For your support & for your phone call as I fly home at a lower altitude tonight! pic.twitter.com/nQYq3gNIZI
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) March 3, 2016
(Image: Scott Kelly/Twitter)