NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who just returned from 340 days in space—the longest for any American—has announced he’s hanging up his spacesuit and will retire from the agency effective April 1.
Kelly joined the astronaut corp in 1996 and has flown to space four times. He holds NASA’s record for cumulative time spent in space at 520 days.
Kelly’s retirement won’t be a total break from NASA. He will continue to participate in the research project connected to his nearly one-year mission at the Space Station that ended on March 1. NASA is studying the effects on the human body of long-term stays in space by studying Kelly and his twin brother, former astronaut Mark Kelly.
This year-in-space mission was a profound challenge for all involved, and it gave me a unique perspective.
, astronaut
