NASA astronaut Scott Kelly paved the way for future missions when he embarked¹ on a one-year mission in space along with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. Kelly will be the first American to complete such a long-duration mission, and one of the first humans in more than 15 years to embrace the challenge. Russian cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev was the last person to spend a year in microgravity in 1999. The 2015-2016 mission builds upon that past knowledge. While every space mission is historically significant, this one stands out. Twenty-first century technology, approaches and techniques are employed. NASA has partnered with other space agencies to conduct numerous human research investigations² to see how the human body changes during a year in space. Two of these investigations, which deal with the effects of long spaceflights on the human body are fluid shifts and field tests. Fluid shifts deal with changes in the visual system and field tests with post-landing capabilities³ of astronauts immediately after long spaceflights. These investigations break down technological⁴ and logistical barriers while increasing international collaboration⁵. The mission unites world-renowned scientists to conduct groundbreaking research on the human body. 

 

"Working with additional partners is not necessarily easy because different countries have particular processes they follow," said John Charles, chief scientist of the NASA Human Research Program, who has a doctoral degree in physiology⁶ and biophysics. "Differing approaches to solving problems must be considered, but when new processes are learned that can benefit future missions or reduce duplication of tasks, that is considered a successful partnership⁷." 

 

This collaborative effort tests not only the human body but also the integration⁸ of partners, technologies and techniques. The good news is it is working so well it will be a model for future long-duration missions.

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