Everyone’s been excited by the return of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who’s returned from space after 340 days in space on the International Space Station. What they may not know is that Kelly has been a part of NASA’s twin study, which has used Scott Kelly and his identical twin brother Mark Kelly as subjects.
The study, which looks at the effects that space has on the human body, required Mark stay Earthside while Scott spent nearly a year in space. The study is looking into the effects on vision, bones, muscles, radiation, potential heart shrinkage and long-term isolation on the human body and mind, with Scott breaking the record on the most consecutive days spent in space by an American astronaut.
What have they found so far? Scott has grown 2 inches taller since his time in space.
NASA’s Jeff Williams said, “Astronauts get taller in space as the spine elongates, but they return to preflight height after a short time back on Earth.” I suppose Scott better enjoy the height advantage on his brother while he can.
All of this is preparation for a NASA expedition to Mars, and NASA will spend the next year monitoring Kelly’s health. The brothers could very well be the source of a year of discovery, so stay tuned for more news from NASA.
Source: IGN
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