A Year in Space

Astronauts Scott Kelly and Jessica Meir discuss the importance of the Twin Study, which will help scientists understand the effects of being in space for a year.

One Year Mission crew members Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko drop through the atmosphere in a Soyuz spacecraft, landing on March 2nd in the desolate Kazakhstan desert.

While Scott Kelly spent a year on the International Space Station, his twin brother Mark spent a year on earth. By analyzing the differences between the two men, NASA researchers hope to gain insight into the effects of spaceflight on the human body.

Before she became an astronaut, Jessica Meir was a biological scientist studying how animals live in extreme environments.

Astronauts Jessica Meir and Victor Glover visit Launch Pad 39B, where the space shuttle used to launch, and the Vehicle Assembly Building, the “high holy cathedral of space.”

Beyond A Year in Space picks up where A Year in Space left off: Scott Kelly’s last day in space and return to Earth. The special also introduces viewers to the next generation of astronauts training to leave Earth’s orbit and travel into deep space.

Before he became an astronaut, Victor Glover was a fighter pilot in the US Navy.

Follow astronaut Scott Kelly’s record-breaking 12-month mission on the International Space Station, from launch to landing, as NASA charts the effects of long-duration spaceflight by comparing him to his identical twin on Earth, astronaut Mark Kelly.

A huge belt of space debris orbits Earth- a single piece could be fatal for those on the ISS.

Even from its orbit of 249 miles above, Scott Kelly stays connected to the people of Earth with the power of social media. His Twitter feed and Instagram accounts have become world-wide phenomena. #YearinSpace

The Cold War is over, but tensions between Russia and the United States remain high. Today, there is only one place where American astronauts can launch into space- and it’s in the heart of the old Soviet empire.

The International Space Station is the most expensive and complex object humans have ever built.