NASA Says US, Russian Astronauts to Start a One-Year Space Mission in March

NASA stated that US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will start a one-year scientific research in space in March 2015.

MOSCOW, January 16 (Sputnik) — US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will start a one-year scientific research in space in March 2015, NASA said in a statement Thursday.

While such a long interstellar experience is nothing new for the Russian cosmonauts, four of whom have already had missions of one year and even more, Kelly will be the first ever US astronaut to spend a year in space.

"In March 2015, American Astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will begin collaborative investigations on the International Space Station (ISS). They will reside on the ISS for a year, which is twice as long as typical U.S. missions," the statement read.

The statement noted, that the astronauts will be involved in the scientific experiments "on the medical, psychological and biomedical challenges faced by astronauts during long-duration space flight."

According to US media reports, Kelly's twin brother Mark, who is also an astronaut, will participate in the experiment as well, as NASA intends to compare the effects of weightlessness on people with similar genetics.