Celebrating Flag Day on June 14, 2015, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly took this photograph in the cupola of the International Space Station. Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) wrote, “Stars and stripes from @Space_Station. Happy #NationalFlagDay! #YearInSpace”
Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko launched to the International Space Station on March 27, 2015, beginning their one-year mission in space. Most expeditions to the space station last four to six months. By doubling the length of this mission, researchers hope to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to long-duration spaceflight. This knowledge is critical as NASA looks toward human journeys deeper into the solar system, including to and from Mars, which could last 500 days or longer.
Image Credit: NASA