14 DAY TRIAL // Just the other day, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly captured a positively stunning view of the auroras. The photo, available below, was obtained from aboard the International Space Station, now hovering over our planet at an altitude of about 400 kilometers (250 miles).
The astronaut shared his image of the auroras on Twitter and captioned it, “The daily morning dose of #aurora to help wake you up. #GoodMorning from @Space_Station! #YearInSpace.”
Together with space explorer Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos, NASA's Scott Kelly arrived at the International Space Station a while back, on March 27. The two astronauts will spend 342 days in orbit and return to Earth on March 3 next year.
The orbital complex has welcomed many crews since its launch, but, so far, nobody has spend quite as much time aboard it as Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko will.
The reason these astronauts were sent to live a year in Earth's orbit was to research how space conditions affect the human body on the long term. Such studies are needed before attempting to send crews to Mars or some other nearby orb.
Until they return to Earth, Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko will be closely monitored to determine the effects of microgravity on their muscles, their brain and other major organs. They will also be subjected to psychological tests.
“The pair are spending 342 days in space to help researchers better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to long duration spaceflight,” NASA explains.
