Take a break and watch two astronauts return to Earth after a year in space

Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko boarded the International Space Station on 27 March last year.

US ASTRONAUT Scott Kelly was in good spirits this morning as he landed back on Earth after spending 340 days in space.

12790906_10153888336466772_3605743640907245647_n NASA / Bill Ingalls NASA / Bill Ingalls / Bill Ingalls

Kelly touched down in Kazakhstan with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kornienko after claiming the record for the longest single stint in space by an American astronaut.

The pair were part of a team that circled the world over 5,000 times during the year-long mission, which Nasa and its partners hope will help inform future human trips to Mars.

Watch them say goodbye to the ISS crew here before sealing themselves into a capsule and dropping down safely to Earth.

NASA / YouTube

Read: Nasa releases ‘outer-space music’ recorded on moon mission in 1969

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More