As one of the central figures in NASA's year-long space mission, American astronaut Scott Kelly suddenly found himself somewhat of a global celebrity as many people from all over the world tuned in to find out his exploits in space.
Much like a reality show, fans of space travel eagerly awaited his updates through NASA and even on his own social media accounts on the various tasks he needed to do for the space agency such as trying out the new Microsoft HoloLens, playing water droplet ping pong and even snapping a few shots of breathtaking images from space.
Kelly has also hosted an ask-me-anything session on Reddit while on board the International Space Station (ISS) so that he can engage with his fans back on Earth.
Now that he's back, it seems natural that people would also like to find out what the veteran spaceman has been up to after spending a year in space. NASA held a press conference on Friday to let Kelly recount his experiences during his long-term stay on the ISS.
After safely landing in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Kelly and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Kornienko, immediately underwent several medical tests to determine the status of their health.
While the year-long mission was not the first time Kelly had traveled to the orbital satellite, he said that the effects the journey had on his body were much more pronounced this time around than in his previous missions.
He said that the fatigue and muscle soreness that he has experienced after returning to Earth last week is much more significant compared to the last time he went to space.
The NASA astronaut added that his skin has become much more sensitive to touch likely as a result of not having physical contact for the duration of the mission. He said that whenever an object presses against his skin, he feels a "burning sensation."
Kelly underwent a few more tests after he got back to Houston, but as soon as they were finished, he went to a swimming pool and happily took a plunge in the water.
"Man, that feels good," Kelly said.
Another thing Kelly noticed was different when he came back was his adjustment to the gravity on Earth. He said that he tried to shoot some hoops but had a hard time making them.
"Throwing things, you tend to underestimate the effects of gravity," Kelly said.
As far as his first meal back on Earth was, Kelly said that he enjoyed a banana.
