On this day in space: March 1, 2016: Scott Kelly returns from a year in space

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On March 1, 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly came back to Earth after spending almost an entire year at the International Space Station, breaking the record for the longest spaceflight by an American.

On March 1, 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly came back to Earth after spending almost an entire year at the International Space Station, breaking the record for the longest spaceflight by an American.

a bald white astronaut in a pressure suit gives two thumbs up as he sits in a chair outside surrounded by people in winter jackets

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is seen shortly after he came back to Earth after spending almost an entire year at the International Space Station, breaking the record for the longest spaceflight by an American, on March 1, 2016. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

During that time, Scott Kelly took part in NASA's twins study with his twin brother, Mark.

His extended stay in space would help researchers learn about the health effects of long-term spaceflight.

On This Day in Space: See our full 365-day video archive!

Hanneke Weitering
Hanneke Weitering
Contributing expert

Hanneke Weitering is a multimedia journalist in the Pacific Northwest reporting on the future of aviation at FutureFlight.aero and Aviation International News and was previously the Editor for Spaceflight and Astronomy news here at Space.com. As an editor with over 10 years of experience in science journalism she has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos. 

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