David Granger at Esquire Magazine sent me a copy of the nicely written article Away (payment required) by Chris Jones that is in the December print issue. It’s about astronaut Scott Kelly and his upcoming one year mission on the International Space Station. All previous stays by US astronauts have been for six months or less.

The goal of the mission is to study effects on the human body in weightlessness for a mission of a length similar to that of a trip to Mars. After Scott returns to earth, his condition will be compared to that of his twin brother Mark Kelly, a former astronaut himself.

Find more about the program at

• One Year Crew – NASA
• The Joint US-Russian One-Year Mission: Establishing International Partnerships and Innovative Collaboration – NASA

[ Update: Here is another article about the 1 year: With An Eye To Mars, NASA is Testing its Astronaut Twins: Scott and Mark Kelly, the only twins to have traveled in space, are embarking on a mission to help NASA prepare for Mars – Smithsonian. ]

Here is an interview with Scott Kelly about the mission: