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 “It seemed like I lived there forever,” Kelly told reporters at
the Johnson Space Center in Houston and on a conference call during
his first news conference since returning from a 340-day mission
aboard the International Space Station.
Kelly’s mission, which was about twice as long as astronauts
typically serve aboard the station, was part of a pathfinder program
to prepare for missions to Mars that will last more than two years.
Kelly, a veteran of three previous spaceflights, said he initially
felt well after landing in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, but then fatigue
and muscle soreness quickly set in.
“I’m kind of surprised how I do feel different physically than the
last time, with regards to muscle soreness and joint pain. That was
something that was kind of unexpected,” Kelly said.
The 52-year-old astronaut added that he is wrestling with
over-sensitive skin, which leaves him with a slight burning
sensation.
 Kelly and his crewmates tackled more than 450 experiments during the
flight, which eclipsed the previous longest U.S. spaceflight of 215
days. Four Soviet-era cosmonauts lived in orbit even longer aboard
the now-defunct Mir space station, including a mission lasting
nearly 438 days that ended in March 1995.
Kelly said it was hard being away from family and friends, but that
he could have stayed longer.
“Whether its science or going to a certain destination, I think
people rise to the occasion if you’re doing something important,”
Kelly said. “If going to Mars takes two years or two-and-a-half
years, that’s doable.”
Like many space travelers, Kelly returned to Earth with an increased
appreciation of the planet and sense of its fragility.
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“You can see a lot of pollution over parts of Asia that is almost
continuous. You can’t really see the ground very well. And those
fires in California over the summer, that smoke was pretty
extensive. But the predominant thing is you just notice how thin the
atmosphere is, how fragile it looks. That combined with these large
swabs of pollution is somewhat alarming,” Kelly said.
Kelly will continue to undergo a battery of medical, psychological
and other tests for about a year so scientists can learn more about
how spaceflight impacts the human body and mind.
His identical twin brother, former astronaut Mark Kelly, also is
participating in studies looking at possible genetic changes from
spaceflight, which may impact cancer research, said John Charles,
who oversees NASA’s human research program.
“I am confident in saying that it will influence how we understand
cancer,” Charles he said.
Kelly and his twin were reunited on Wednesday. By then, the 1.5 inch
(3.8 cm) increase in height he experienced as a result of his spine
expanding in microgravity had reversed.
“He’s squished back to normal height,” Mark Kelly told reporters.
(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Tom Brown)
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