Miami: NASA astronaut Scott Kelly will Thursday set a new record for the longest single stretch of time spent in space by an American, with 216 consecutive days at the International Space Station.
Kelly is more than midway through an entire year at the ISS, as part of an experiment to study the effects of long-term spaceflight on the body and mind.
Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko is also spending a year at the orbiting outpost for the study.
Kelly's twin brother, Mark, is taking part on Earth to help scientists compare any genetic changes they see in Scott while in space.
Astronauts typically spend no longer than five to six months at a time in space.
"Breaking such a record for time in space is important because every additional day helps us better understand how long-duration spaceflight affects bodies and minds, which is critical to advancing NASA's journey to Mars," the US space agency said in a statement.
NASA hopes to send people to the Red Planet by the 2030s. But it remains unknown if explorers could survive the long term journey, which might last three years.
Concerns for the health of pioneers in deep space include exposure to potentially cancer-causing levels of radiation, and the psychological difficulties of living in an enclosed space with no access to nature, family, or friends.
The record for longest single spaceflight was previously held by American astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, who spent 215 days in space as commander of the ISS in 2006.
Since Kelly has already flown in space several times before, he broke another record earlier in October for the most cumulative days spent in space by an American.
On October 16, Kelly marked his 383rd day living in space, surpassing US astronaut Mike Fincke's record of 382 cumulative days.
AFP
