Washington, D.C. – House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Space Subcommittee Chairman Brian Babin (R-Texas) today released the following statements welcoming Astronaut Scott Kelly home from his nearly year-long mission in space aboard the International Space Station. After landing in Kazakhstan at 11:26 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Kelly is expected to arrive at Ellington Airport near NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston late Wednesday evening.
Chairman Lamar Smith: “We thank NASA astronaut Scott Kelly for his invaluable contributions to the future of human spaceflight, and we welcome him home. His almost year-long experiment on the International Space Station will directly inform NASA on the physical and psychological impacts of a human Mars mission. Although his latest journey in space has come to an end, this is just the beginning of what we can learn from Scott’s extraordinary sacrifice. He has blazed the trail for future pioneers who will venture farther and farther into our solar system.”
Space Subcommittee Chairman Brian Babin: “It is with great excitement that we welcome back astronaut Scott Kelly to Earth after his nearly year-long mission aboard the International Space Station. This historic mission will enable scientists to more closely understand the long-term physiological impacts on the human body relative to long-term space exploration. As the U.S. continues its plans for deeper space explorations missions to the moon and Mars, it’s critical that we first understand the physiological risks and impacts on our astronauts in order to mitigate them on future space missions. I commend Scott for his dedication and sacrifices in order to further human spaceflight and exploration. I look forward to talking with him about this incredible m
