A moment with Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko, who are about to spend a year in space

NASA's One-Year Mission, which launches this month, will focus on seven categories of research.

In March 2015, American Astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will begin collaborative investigations on the International Space Station (ISS). They will reside on ISS for a year, which is twice as long as typical U.S. missions.

These investigations are expected to yield beneficial knowledge on the medical, psychological and biomedical challenges faced by astronauts during long-duration spaceflight.

More on Kelly and Kornienko, and their mission, in these videos.

More: nasa.gov

[HT: Mitch Youts]

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (left), Expedition 43/44 flight engineer and Expedition 45/46 commander; and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, Expedition 43-46 flight engineer, take a break from training at NASA's Johnson Space Center to pose for a portrait. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford


NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (left), Expedition 43/44 flight engineer and Expedition 45/46 commander; and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, Expedition 43-46 flight engineer, take a break from training at NASA's Johnson Space Center to pose for a portrait. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford

This patch represents the historic one-year expedition to the International Space Station, spanning Increments 43 through 46. The ISS, an orbiting laboratory above the Earth, provides a unique environment in which to study the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. This one-year mission will pave the way for future pursuits in space exploration of humankind on longer journeys to farther destinations. The large number 1 on the patch is emblazoned with U.S. and Russian Flags depicting the duration of the flight and the countries of its crew members. The last names of the one-year crew, ISS Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko, appear under the space station symbol above 13 stars, which represent the astronauts and cosmonauts who will be onboard and working together in harmony during this year-long mission. Earth and the sun are depicted with two orbital planes, symbolizing the ISS orbiting Earth while the Earth is orbiting the sun during the year-long mission.


This patch represents the historic one-year expedition to the International Space Station, spanning Increments 43 through 46. The ISS, an orbiting laboratory above the Earth, provides a unique environment in which to study the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. This one-year mission will pave the way for future pursuits in space exploration of humankind on longer journeys to farther destinations. The large number 1 on the patch is emblazoned with U.S. and Russian Flags depicting the duration of the flight and the countries of its crew members. The last names of the one-year crew, ISS Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko, appear under the space station symbol above 13 stars, which represent the astronauts and cosmonauts who will be onboard and working together in harmony during this year-long mission. Earth and the sun are depicted with two orbital planes, symbolizing the ISS orbiting Earth while the Earth is orbiting the sun during the year-long mission.