Talk about a commute: Imagine getting offered a one-year work assignment that didn’t just require moving to another city, but leaving the Earth entirely.
In March 2015, American astronaut Scott Kelly, along with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, took off for a yearlong stay aboard the International Space Station.
The mission was designed to help understand the long-term effects of space on the human body, and prepare for future human space exploration. The story of that mission—and how Kelly got there—is told in Kelly’s new book “Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery.”
Quiet time in the cupola (NASA / Scott Kelly)
Kelly, now a retired astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, holds the American record for most consecutive days spent in space. He was in town for the Chicago Humanities Festival and joins us in conversation.
Read an excerpt of the book here.
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