Record-breaking U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly will retire soon

NASA’s record-breaking astronaut Scott Kelly is going to leave his post at the space agency at the end of March, but he will continue to help NASA scientists with research-examining effects of long-duration spaceflight on human body. Kelly revealed his departure from NASA on Friday.

Kelly returned to earth aboard Soyuz TMA-18M on March 1. He spent record 340 days on the International Space Station (ISS). In a web posting, the space station selfie king talked about his spacefaring days. He said his 143,846,525 miles aboard ISS around our globe has pushed the limits of space exploration.

The universe is indeed a big place and humanity has many miles yet to travel around, said Kelly. Leaving NASA is just a step on that journey, the 52-year-old astronaut added.

Kelly also mentioned that he will continue to participate in ongoing medical research of NASA to see how human body behaves after spending a long time in micro-gravity.

According to the astronaut, he will help in the research for as long as it will be necessary. “This year in space mission was a profound challenge for all involved that also gave me a unique perspective and a lot of time to reflect on what my next step should be on our continued journey to help further our capabilities in space”, Kelly continued.

Kelly did not reveal anything about his plans after leaving NASA, but during a last week’s press conference at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, he said that he will never be done with space. He didn’t hint how he will be involved in space exploration.

Earlier, Kelly said that he wants to go back to ISS, but he also mentioned that NASA will not give him another opportunity as there are many talented astronauts in the space agency.