Welcome Home! Astronaut Scott Kelly Returns To Earth After Spending 340 Days In Space
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Ah, there's nothing like a blast of fresh, frigid air to welcome you back to the planet after nearly a year cooped up in space.
That's the word from astronaut Scott Kelly, NASA's space-endurance champ. Kelly returned to bitterly cold Kazakhstan on Wednesday, along with his roommate for the past year, Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko.
PHOTOS: Astronaut Scott Kelly, Russian Cosmonauts Return To Earth
In a NASA interview before heading home to Houston, the 52-year-old New Jersey native said it was "amazing'' to feel the cold air when the hatch of his Soyuz capsule popped open after touchdown. Both he and Kornienko had longed to experience nature during their mission at the International Space Station. Kornienko called the fresh air "an unforgettable feeling.''
Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov, who piloted the craft, also returned to Earth.
Kelly and Kornienko spent 340 consecutive days in space, circling the world 5,440 times on a mission that began last March. Russia continues to rule when it comes to long-duration spaceflight with the world record of 438 days, which was set by a Russian doctor during the 1990s.
Kelly and Kornienko were on a medical research voyage that scientists hope may help pave the way for eventual flights to Mars. The two are now undergoing a barrage of medical tests.
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