The crew aboard the International Space Station is getting ready for a busy traffic month set to begin March 1. Meanwhile, advanced microgravity research and spacesuit work continues inside the orbital lab.
One-Year crew members Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko are preparing to come home March 1 after 340 days in space. Flight Engineer Sergey Volkov will return with them inside the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft. Then on March 18, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin will launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft and join Expedition 47.
Kelly harvested Zinnia plants Monday grown for the Veggie experiment as scientists validate the botany gear to determine the effectiveness of growing plants in space. The Expedition 46 commander also scrubbed spacesuit cooling loops today after inspecting another spacesuit for leaks Monday.
Astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake joined Kelly at the end of the work day for eye checks. Earlier in the day Kopra studied the flammability of different textiles in space while Peake participated in educational science activities.
Space Travelers; Scott and Mikhail , I know it seems like a year to you two but for most of us , it is hard to fathom.. You have inspired us with your pictures and notes . Take good care and have a safe journey Home .Be in Godspeed .
I wish Scott, Mikhail and Sergey and safe journey home and a beautiful long awaited reunion with their family. I so admire all the wonderful astronauts for the excellent work they are doing and all of them are such an inspiration to our younger generation. Tim Peake has raised the profile of space beyond our wildest dreams..keep him safe up on ISS for us please. Well done to everyone
Scott and Mikhail – you both are brave, strong, being motivated to explore, share feedbacks on space and experiments to us being on Earth that we seek knowledges for future space explorations and beyond. One year is amazing – good job on space gardening !!
Wishing you both and Sergey on a safe return home and you all shall be rewarded, toward friendship and partners – Nina
Hi Nina — You can find more info on the Year in Space research here… https://www.nasa.gov/oneyear/
You can also watch an interview about the Year in Space research with the International Space Station chief scientist here… https://youtu.be/leYseS988Gg
I am thankful for your sharing the nice time and the divine figure of the Earth from the ISS!
We never forget you, Mr.Commander Scott Kelly, Mr.cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko and Mr.cosmonaut Sergey Volkof.
We are hoping you would return home safely.
This is from JAPAN.
why only 340 Days, why not wait the whole 365 Days?
A mission may end up shorter or longer depending on a variety of timing and conditions.