The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution honoring Scott Kelly for his record-breaking stay in space.
Senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez of New Jersey became the latest among public officials to honor Kelly, who himself hails from West Orange in Essex County, and laud him for his 340-day stay at the International Space Station.
Sen. Booker – sitting on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that oversees NASA – filed the resolution March 1 hours before the celebrated American astronaut closed the hatch on the ISS to voyage back home. Kelly safely landed in Kazakhstan and returned to the U.S. the next day.
The resolution passed Wednesday, highlighting Kelly’s safe return as “a proud moment” for the whole state and in the name of science and exploration.
"It's important that we, as a nation, stand up and recognize greatness in order to inspire youngsters and future generations of what is possible when we push ourselves to excel," says Sen. Menendez.
Kelly’s stay in space was part of the space agency’s plan to bring humans to Mars by the 2030s, showing how micro-gravity environments and space conditions affect astronauts’ physical and mental conditions.
His test results will be compared to those of his twin, Mark Kelly, to lend insight into the extreme effects of weightlessness on the body, based on the identical brothers’ data.
Kelly’s stint in space, alongside cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko, is the longest among humans since 1999. In a video press conference from orbit, Kelly said he would stay another year in orbit 240 miles above Earth if he needs to.
Now he is dealing with a range of health predicaments, such as sore muscles, joint pains, and skin issues, which he deemed unexpected and different from those from his previous space missions. He will undergo medical tests for an entire year.
University of Pennsylvania researchers, for instance, developed a battery of cognitive tests that Kelly himself took in space repeatedly. Among them is the ability to recognize and interpret emotions coming from facial expressions.
“If you’re flying to Mars and can’t read your fellow astronauts’ facial expressions, that could lead to conflicts,” says professor Mathias Basner, from the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1996, Kelly and his twin brother entered NASA’s Astronaut Group 16. Prior to his record-setting trip, the 52-year-old former space shuttle commander spent more than 180 days in space through three separate flights.
Co-sponsoring the Senate resolution were Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
