--- title: Astronauts Aboard the Space Station Talk About Returning to Earth | TIME description: canonical: https://time.com/video/uToMxN11/ og:title: Astronauts Aboard the Space Station Talk About Returning to Earth og:description: og:url: https://time.com/video/uToMxN11/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/uToMxN11/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Astronauts Aboard the Space Station Talk About Returning to Earth twitter:description: twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/uToMxN11/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Astronauts Aboard the Space Station Talk About Returning to Earth > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Astronauts Aboard the Space Station Talk About Returning to Earth [Watch (HLS stream): Astronauts Aboard the Space Station Talk About Returning to Earth](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uToMxN11.m3u8) (11:46)  _Published 2016-02-05_ --- Jul 27, 2023 7:34 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [TIME Raw: International Space Station Trio Return to Earth](/video/qIrPxC4k/) ### TIME Raw: International Space Station Trio Return to Earth [Exclusive: Space Station Astronauts Talk to TIME](/video/hYuEYVW5/) ### Exclusive: Space Station Astronauts Talk to TIME [Astronauts Talk to Time About Life Aboard The International Space Station](/video/TNgMmJJR/) ### Astronauts Talk to Time About Life Aboard The International Space Station --- ## Transcript having a video chat with the international space station is a little harder than just going online and booting up Skype. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of bandwidth but it's always worth the effort. Today we'll be talking to Russian cosmonaut Mikel Kornianko and American astronaut Scott Kelly Who have been living aboard the International Space Station for the past 314 days. This conversation is our last opportunity to speak with the astronauts while they're still in space. They're scheduled to come home March 1st after spending nearly a year in low Earth orbit. The purpose of Kelly and Kornienko's mission is simple, to determine if the human body can withstand the rigors of prolonged zero g. The question that must be answered if we're ever to fulfill the long standing dream of traveling to Mars. We'll be talking with the astronauts about their lives in space and their mental state as their mission comes to an end. If they're counting down the days until they come home, how they pack before leaving, and what the most fascinating and most boring parts of the mission have been. And if time moves more slowly in space than it does on Earth. Our conversation is part of our long- term coverage. Later this month we'll release two more episodes. We'll show you what it's like for Scott and Mikhail to return to earth. Station, this is Time Magazine. How do you hear me? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] We hear you loud and clear Jeff. So Scott, what's the count? How many days have you been up there? how many days are left? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] You know for a long time I was counting up so I could've told you how many days we've been here it's definitely Over 300, but I can't tell you exactly. I can tell you there are 26 days left. But that's mostly because my friend Mischa here keeps reminding me how many days we have left [ LAUGH ]. Are you guys counting down the days until you return? I this the kind of thing that you mark a hash mark off on the wall? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Yeah, I take a peek at it every once in awhile, I'm not counting days, I'm counting percentages. And we've like 8 % left. I got some good advice when I first got here and it was count up, don't count down and i did that for a long time but I think about probably you know once we got into February I definitely looked at the schedule. And one of the reasons I look at the schedule is you kind of have to think about hey what am I doing in a month. What does my schedule like like in a month? So You know, previously the month look ahead schedule I was here, now I'm going to be on earth and I have to think about those things. So something is kind of hard to ignore at this point, Well, are you ready to come home? How do you pack up after leaving, after spending a year in space? I know you're not traveling with all that much, but there are still things to bring home. [ BLANK_AUDIO ]. Yeah we can bring a little bit of stuff home on the Soyuz and you know about a kilogram and half worth of stuff, and then we can bring the stuff that would probably be the equivalent of a carry- on bag and I have a lot more stuff up here. Mostly NASA provided equipment and actually a lot of clothing that I didn't use and that stuff will all get thrown away, so the way you pack is you throw most of your stuff away and then you pack up a little bit that'll go with you on the [ UNKNOWN ] and then some that'll go on a future space ex vehicle. Scott, when you close the hatch it may be for the last time. You've been on the station once before. You've know put together about a year and a half in space. What does that feel like? Are you ending a chapter? Do you look forward to the possibility of going back? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] You know, I think a lot of people that have had the privilege to fly in space maybe never even give it up after they feel like it's maybe their last flight. And I think my brother had that feeling a little bit, and I think he still holds out the possibility that maybe he would actually be able to fly in space again some day. And maybe in a commercial vehicle. And I think a lot of astronauts do that, so If this does wind up being my last flight, I don't necessarily know that when I close the hatch I will, with 100 % certainty feel like it's a very last time. A year in space or year on Earth are still a 365 days or there abouts. But does it move more slowly in space? Does the experience of the passage of time seem different? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Yeah, I think it does. At times, I feel like I've lived my whole life up here. And I've forgotten what it feels like to be on Earth. So, everyday, although our schedule is somewhat varied. The scenery doesn't change. The environmental conditions don't change much. The schedule, when you get up, when you go to sleep, doesn't change much. The company changes pretty infrequently. I mean, even though these are great guys, I mean they'll be friends for life, they're for the most part, even though we've had people come and go, you see the same people every day. So, time does seem to drag on a little bit slowly. The days actually go by very quickly, but the weeks and the months go by more slowly than I think on Earth. Misha. You're gonna have a lot to miss about this space experience when you come home. It all seems like a grand adventure, but what will you miss the most? Will it be the zero g, the view, the hard scientific work? [ FOREIGN ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ FOREIGN ] It's hard to think of just one thing. Yeah, I do like microgravity. [ FOREIGN ] Unfortunately you have to pay for the consequences of that when you're returned on Earth. [ FOREIGN ] But I think I'll miss the crew the most. [ FOREIGN ] I'll miss the work and the orbit working with the crew again that's important we have a really great team and I will miss that on the earth And here's a question for both guys. What is the thing that's been the most exciting experience you've had aboard the station this time, and what was the most boring thing you had to do aboard the station? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ FOREIGN ]. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] You know, I always say that, and I'll give you a specific here. But I do always say that what I like about this is that the challenge of something doing very Something. Doing something very difficult. Working hard at it and being successful, hopefully. And I really enjoy that. And it's kind of a little thing. Some not so little. Like yesterday, we fixed the carbon dioxide removal system. In one day, which we felt like we needed to get it up and running again. And doing that in one day was some really challenging and rewarding work and I really enjoyed doing that type of stuff. But I had never done a spacewalk before, so if I had to pick one thing. I would say going outside for the first, second, and third time would be, for me, the most memorable, and the most boring things. I don't know. That's a tough one. I never really find myself bored up here. What I generally find myself with is not enough time to do the things I would like to do, the things I want to get done. It's not like I sit around and watch a lot of TV or read a lot of books up here. I'm always doing something. And now that I'm getting towards the end of this, I feel like I probably have more stuff to do than I have time to do it. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ FOREIGN ] There were memorable moments here on station, first is the arrival of a new crew. [ FOREIGN ] We're doing an EVA. Doing a spacewalk and our crew did it. [ FOREIGN ] It was tense time. You had to focus. [ FOREIGN ] All the dynamic modes are very memorable. New Year it's a big holiday here on station. It's been many years I had here on station. As for the boring days, it's probably when they give us a break when we do a lot of intense work. Sometimes we get to rest up to three days I don't like that time allowed. I would prefer to work. The time goes by faster and it is interesting for yourself to work. Well, god speed gentlemen. We thank you for your time and the Time video team and I look forward to returning to Kazakhstan And being there to do our part to help welcome you home on March 1st. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Yeah thanks Jeff and it'll be great seeing you guys there when we get back to earth. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] And this will be time saying goodbye and reminding you that we will be covering The one year in space mission through the return and through the science that follows as the astronauts and science as a whole learns what a year in space did to the physiology of two very strong and very brave men. 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