On March 27, astronaut Scott Kelly embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime journey: a historic mission dubbed,A Year In Space.
Kelly, along with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, was sent to live aboard the International Space Station for a total of 522 days as part of NASAs research on the long-term effects of zero-gravity.
With the mission, NASA hopes to better understand conditions in space so we can,someday, develop permanent extraterrestrial communities.
Kellys job is rigorous and, predictably, rather lonely. But the payoff to spend a year in outer space watching the Earth from afar is immense and, by all accounts, absolutely worth it.
The brave astronaut has spent his free time documenting the beauty of our Earth from his unparalleled vantage point aboard the ISS, and his stunning photographs will give you a renewed appreciation for this place we callhome.
Take a look below.
Kelly updates his social media accounts daily with photographs taken from the ISS.
His vantage point allows him to see the world in ways most of us never will.
He calls it #EarthArt (and its easy to see why).
Because the ISS travels faster than the Earths orbit (approximately 17,000 mph)
Kelly and the other astronauts aboard the ISS witness about 15 sunrises and sunsets per day (every 92 minutes).
According to the NASA alum, tropical waters and deserts look pretty cool from space.
But as far as were concerned, all of it looks cool.
He saw Hurricane Patricia forming before we even knew it was coming
And he watches the Northern Lights as they dance across the Earth.
Though living in space is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (and undeniably beautiful)…
Kelly insistsEarth is better.
Seeing his gorgeous #EarthArt, we cant say we disagree.
Follow Scott Kelly on Instagram and Twitter for daily updates onhis year in space.
Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2018 Social Zazz