A Month Spent in Space—and 11 More to Go

5 minute read

A year in space is marked in part by the holidays that will pass while you’re away. Christmas? Sorry, out of town. Easter? Ditto. Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, Halloween? Catch you next year.

It’s fitting then, that the first holiday astronaut Scott Kelly spent in the just-completed first month of his planned one-year stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS)—which began with his launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in the early morning hours of March 29—was Cosmonautics Day. Never heard of it? You would have if you were Russian.

Cosmonautics Day celebrates April 12, 1961, when Yuri Gagarin lifted off from the same launch pad from which Kelly’s mission began, becoming the first human being in space. Kelly and his five crewmates—including fellow one-year marathoner Mikhail Kornienko—got the morning off on this year’s special day, taking the opportunity to enjoy the relative comforts of a spacecraft with more habitable space than a four-bedroom home. But in the afternoon it was back to work—following a moment-by-moment schedule that is scripted on the ground, followed in space and that, while often grueling, is the best way for astronauts and cosmonauts who have signed on for a long hitch to keep their minds on their work and keep the time from crawling.

Kelly’s first month was, in some ways, typical of the 11 that lie ahead. There was the arrival of a SpaceX cargo ship—a vessel carrying 4,300 lbs (1,950 kg) of equipment and supplies, including a subzero freezer that can preserve experiments at -112º F (-80º C)—that needed to be unloaded; new gear to aid studies of the effects of microgravity on mice; and a sample of so-called synthetic muscle, a strong but pliant material modeled after human muscle, to be used for robotic limbs and joints. Also tucked into the load was a less practical but infinitely more anticipated item—a zero-gravity espresso machine, dubbed the ISSpresso.

See Scott Kelly's First 30 Days in Space

Good guesses on my 1st #SpaceGeo pic! I'll announce the winner Friday. Do you know your geo? http://1.usa.gov/1bw0Xuh
Scott Kelly has posted a photo almost every day since arriving at the ISS. Here, see a selection from his first 30 days in space. (Via Twitter on April 23, 2015)Scott Kelly—NASA
Was asked what I write down on this small kneeboard. Mostly hardware serial numbers and #ISS locations. #YearInSpace
"Was asked what I write down on this small kneeboard. Mostly hardware serial numbers and #ISS locations. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 28, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
I wonder what they do here. #NorthAfrica #YearInSpace
"I wonder what they do here. #NorthAfrica #YearInSpace" - via Twitter April 27, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Looks serene from @Space_Station, but my thoughts are still with the people affected by the #NepalEarthquake.
"Looks serene from @Space_Station, but my thoughts are still with the people affected by the #NepalEarthquake." - via Twitter on April 26, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
#Movie night in micro #Gravity aboard #ISS on our new HD projector which we use for conferences, tech software, etc..
"#Movie night in micro #Gravity aboard #ISS on our new HD projector which we use for conferences, tech software, etc.." - via Twitter on April 25, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
My #bedroom aboard #ISS. All the comforts of #home. Well, most of them. #YearInSpace
"My #bedroom aboard #ISS. All the comforts of #home. Well, most of them. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 24, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
#EarthObservations Window on the world. Studying our planet from the cupola on @space_station #NoPlaceLikeHome
"#EarthObservations Window on the world. Studying our planet from the cupola on @space_station #NoPlaceLikeHome" - via Twitter on April 22, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Blown away by a dust swept #RedSea. Good morning from the @space_station!  #YearInSpace.
"Blown away by a dust swept #RedSea. Good morning from the @space_station! #YearInSpace." - via Twitter on April 21, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
#Calcutta area shimmers in the sunlight. #YearInSpace
"#Calcutta area shimmers in the sunlight. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 20, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Africa. I wonder what these desert sands look like up close?#YearInSpace
"Africa. I wonder what these desert sands look like up close?#YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 19, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Working on #ISS research today & how micro gravity impacts aging and muscles of the C Elegan roundworm. #YearInSpace
"Working on #ISS research today & how micro gravity impacts aging and muscles of the C Elegan roundworm. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 18, 2015NASA
Great job @AstroSamantha and @AstroTerry capturing #SpaceX Dragon this morning! #YearInSpace
"Great job @AstroSamantha and @AstroTerry capturing #SpaceX Dragon this morning! #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 17, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
The varied colors of #Madagascar. #YearInSpace
"The varied colors of #Madagascar. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 16, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Sometimes the #world seems to shimmer. #YearInSpace
"Sometimes the #world seems to shimmer. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 15, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Congrats @SpaceX and @NASA team on a successful launch! Watched with my crewmates aboard #ISS. #YearInSpace
"Congrats @SpaceX and @NASA team on a successful launch! Watched with my crewmates aboard #ISS. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 14, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
This #butterfly caught my eye while flying high above the #gulfofmexico. #YearInSpace
"This #butterfly caught my eye while flying high above the #gulfofmexico. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 13, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Not sure what is going on on this beach in #Mexico but it's a striking image. #YearInSpace
"Not sure what is going on on this beach in #Mexico but it's a striking image. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 12, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
#Earth is breathtaking. #YearInSpace
"#Earth is breathtaking. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 11, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Hopefully this is pollen or algae and not something man made. #YearInSpace
"Hopefully this is pollen or algae and not something man made. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 10, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Madagascar drains its red mud into the Indian Ocean. #YearInSpace
"Madagascar drains its red mud into the Indian Ocean. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 9, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Looks messy, but it's functional. Our #food table on the @space station. What's for breakfast? #YearInSpace
"Looks messy, but it's functional. Our #food table on the @space station. What's for breakfast? #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 8, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
#Patagonia never disappoints. #YearInSpace
"#Patagonia never disappoints. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 7, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
#Australia. You are very beautiful. Thanks for being there to brighten our day. #YearInSpace
"#Australia. You are very beautiful. Thanks for being there to brighten our day. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 6, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Good morning Southern #Florida from the #ISS. #YearInSpace
"Good morning Southern #Florida from the #ISS. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on April 5, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
Enjoying Saturday evening dinner with @AstroTerry on the #ISS
"Enjoying Saturday evening dinner with @AstroTerry on the #ISS" - via Twitter on April 4, 2015NASA
#FlashbackFriday Got my 1st EMT training at 16. Emergency medical training on #ISS keeps me 35 years proficient.
"#FlashbackFriday Got my 1st EMT training at 16. Emergency medical training on #ISS keeps me 35 years proficient." - via Twitter on April 3, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA
.@FLOTUS Thank you. Made it! Moving into crew quarters on @space_station to begin my #yearinspace.
".@FLOTUS Thank you. Made it! Moving into crew quarters on @space_station to begin my #yearinspace." - via Twitter on March 30, 2015Scott Kelly—NASA

There are 250 experiments that must be tended at any one time aboard the ISS, but the most important of them will be Kelly and Kornienko themselves. The human body was built for the one-g environment of Earth, but if we ever hope to achieve our grand dreams of traveling to Mars and beyond, we’d better figure out if we can survive the rigors of zero-g. And that’s no sure thing. Almost every system in the body—circulatory, skeletal, cellular, visual—breaks down in some ways in weightlessness.

In their first month in space alone, the two long-termers submitted to a whole range of preliminary experiments that will track their health throughout their stay: their eyes are being studied to determine the kind of effect the upward shift in fluids caused by zero-g has on the optic nerve and the shape of the eyeball. Space physicians already know the basic answer: not a good one. But the hope is that Kelly and Kornienko will help provide ways to mitigate the damage.

Other biomedical studies in the first month include sampling saliva and sweat to test for bacterial levels and chemical balance; leg scans to determine blood flow; studies of blood pressure—which can fluctuate wildly when the heart no longer has to pump against gravity; analyses of throat and skin samples; bone density tests and studies of the cells to determine why they change shape in zero-g. As exquisite serendipity has it, Kelly’s identical twin brother, Mark, is a retired astronaut, providing a perfect controlled study of how men with matching genomes and matching backgrounds react to a year spent in decidedly non-matching environments. Nearly all of the studies Scott submits to in space will be duplicated in Mark on the ground.

The eleven months ahead will not all be a Groundhog Day repetition of the first. Kelly will venture out on at least two spacewalks—the first of his four-mission career—and will help oversee a complex reconfiguration of the station, with modules and docking ports repositioned to accommodate commercial crew vehicles built by Boeing and SpaceX, which are supposed to begin arriving in 2017. There will also be movie nights and web-surfing and regular video chats, phone calls and emails with family. And the periodic arrival of cargo ships will provide such luxuries as fresh fruits and vegetables, which don’t last long in space, but don’t have to because six-person crews missing the comforts of home scarf them down fast.

The clubhouse turn of Kelly’s and Kornienko’s one-year mission will occur next December, the 50th anniversary of what was once America’s longest stay in space: the two-week flight of Gemini 7, which astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell passed in the equivalent of two coach airline seats, with the ceiling just three inches over their heads. The ISS is a manor house compared to the Gemini. But the astronauts are still astronauts, human beings in a very strange place experiencing very strange things—in this case for a very long time.

TIME is covering Kelly’s mission in the new series, A Year In Space. Watch the trailer here.

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Write to Jeffrey Kluger at jeffrey.kluger@time.com