Scott Kelly’s day starts with a sunrise, 250 miles above Earth.
#MondayMotivation from @space_station! #Sunrise number 4,177 of a #YearInSpace. pic.twitter.com/34k2mxp0Ro
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) December 14, 2015
In orbit, the commander of the International Space Station will see many more before zipping himself into a zero-gravity sleeping bag.
Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are spending 340 days in space to test how people respond to long-duration spaceflight. On March 1, both return home to Earth. It’s a first step toward a possible manned mission to Mars.
In between those thousands of sunrises and sunsets, Kelly keeps busy performing science experiments, enjoying space-grown salad, and taking advantage of photographic opportunities unavailable to the earthbound:
Wait these are the droids we're looking for. #StarWarsTheForceAwakens with real bots on @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/AvbglVM3jm
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) December 18, 2015
With ISS crewmates, he will have conducted more than 400 different experiments before his scheduled March 1 touchdown.
Nursed the #SpaceFlowers all the way to today and now all that remains are memories. Happy #Valentines Day! pic.twitter.com/blJMoIOYEe
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) February 14, 2016
Astronauts have even grown flowers and veggies in orbit, supplementing their diets with romaine lettuce grown on the space station.
Since blasting off in 2015, Kelly has captured some amazing views of cities and scenery:
#Italy and the #Alps last night were breathtaking! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/Sgbkb1CPA4
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 26, 2016
#EarthArt #SouthAmerica #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/wxT7zbCyGw
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) November 22, 2015
#Dubai, #GoodEvening from @Space_Station! You're brilliant as always. #UAE #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/3VpTgmAHC3
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) November 28, 2015
Color palette of the #Spanish coast is an appealing morning view. #GoodMorning from @Space_Station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/EfuWmRBsJv
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) September 5, 2015
Day 318. Over a #Shanghai night. Wishes for a happy #ChineseNewYear! #GoodNight from @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/T4JD0z55it
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) February 9, 2016
Cool frozen lake in #Himalayas! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/Ly0XsrAH3n
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 9, 2016
My cosmonaut colleague Oleg Kononenko took this incredible picture of #NYC last night. Enjoy. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/GWSSTcuiD9
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) October 18, 2015
But for all the beautiful views, he says, “I think the thing I look forward to most is just going outside. It will be nice to just be able to get outside and feel the sun on my face and the breeze on my neck.”
Reflecting on my #YearInSpace as I begin #countdown to my return to #Earth. #Throwback of my last day on the planet. pic.twitter.com/ZnX8KJCPWI
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) February 21, 2016
You can follow Scott Kelly’s return live on March 1, and find more of his photography on Twitter at @StationCDRKelly.