An Awe-Inspiring Look Back On Scott Kelly's Historic Space Mission

Earlier this week, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly touched down after 340 days in space.
The first American to spend a nearly a year in orbit, Kelly extensively researched "how the human body adjusts to weightlessness, isolation, radiation and the stress of long-duration spaceflight"—information that will help put humans on Mars. And he used his Instagram to give the world below a glimpse into his zero-gravity journey.
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Kelly's photos are stunning portrayals of Earth's diverse natural landscapes and they serve as poignant reminders of our shared responsibility to protect the planet.
Now that he's back home eating fresh veggies and chatting with President Obama, Kelly's 'grams are a little less #mindblowing, but we can still look back on these out-of-this-world portrayals of his historic expedition. May they inspire you to view your own surroundings under a new lens.
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Emma Loewe is the Sustainability and Health Director at mindbodygreen and the author of Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us. She is also the co-author of The Spirit Almanac: A Modern Guide To Ancient Self Care, which she wrote alongside Lindsay Kellner.
Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She's spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.