The moment is finally here! The one year mission is coming to a close which means Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko get to return home next week.
PHOTO DATE: 07-10-14 LOCATION: JSC Building 8 SUBJECT: Official Expedition 43 crew portrait. PHOTOGRAPHER: BILL STAFFORD
This mission is to test how prolonged spaceflight would affect astronauts’ health and functionality. It takes about 6 months to get to Mars, so a trip there and back would take about a year: hence, the one year mission and its importance to the Journey to Mars. Scott Kelly has an interesting study with his twin to delve deeper into the effects we know spaceflight has on the body. However, if Kelly’s story is new to you, I recommend checking out this post! (and to climb out from under the rock you have been living… it can’t be fun down there).
Kelly and Kornienko, Russia’s one year representative, will fall home in a Soyuz March 1st (or 2nd depending on your time zone). As usual, NASA TV has a slew of events to cover this momentous occasion. From the astronaut/cosmonaut entering the Soyuz to landing on Earth, NASA has got it covered.
NASA TV‘s schedule
Monday 2/29 (29/2)
- 3:10 p.m. EST (20:10 GMT) – Change of command ceremony (Scott Kelly hands over space station command to Tim Kopra)
Tuesday 3/1 (1/3)
- 4:15 p.m. EST (21:15 GMT) – Farewell and hatch closure coverage; hatch closure scheduled at 4:40 p.m.
- 7:45 p.m. EST (00:45 GMT 2/3) – Undocking coverage; undocking scheduled at 8:05 p.m. EST (01:05 GMT 2/3)
- 10:15 p.m. EST (03:15 GMT 2/3) – Deorbit burn and landing coverage; deorbit burn scheduled at 10:34 p.m. EST (03:34 GMT 2/3), with landing at 11:27 p.m. EST (04:27 GMT 2/3)
- 1:30 a.m. EST 3/2 (06:30 GMT 2/3) – Video file of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities
Safe travels One Year Crew!!
