The astronaut's best pics as he heads back to Earth
If you're like me, then you've got a few hours of downtime before Scott Kelly completes his journey back to Earth after spending an eye-watering 340 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). (Update:He's back!).
Kelly, along with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, has spent the longest amount of time aboard the ISS ever. Kelly also holds the American record for most days in space.
While he was up there doing important astronaut stuff that will, among other things, one day help humans travel to Mars, he also became a social media sensation with 898,000 Instagram followers, 946,785 Likes on Facebook and 949,000 Twitter followers.
His pictures captured the wonders of Earth from 249 miles high, and gave those of us down below a view of our planet and space that we wouldn't have had otherwise, served with a healthy dose of inspirational messages on the side.
NASA put together a few of Kelly's best shots over on Flickr, but below you'll find some of the most stunning photos Kelly took while traveling at 17,150 miles per hour, along with the post he wrote to go along them. It was hard to pick just 14 - trust me.
Kelly wrote: #goodmorning #aurora and the Pacific Northwest! #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: Sad to learn of the death of musician [David Bowie] whose inspiration lives on 'far above the world' #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: #EarthArt #SouthAmerica #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: Africa. #EarthArt Earth without art is just Eh. #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: Aleutian island #volcano letting off a little steam after the new year. #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: Day 265. Soon will I rest. Earned it I have. Twilight is upon me. #Yoda #GoodNight from @space_station! #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: Closed windows b4 sleep [and] saw this stunning view of the #CanadianRockies! #GoodNight frm Space Station #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: #EarthArt Our planet seems to have a sense of humor at times. #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: Cool frozen lake in #Himalayas! #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: #Aurora and all that jazz over #Chicago city lights. #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: #MilkyWay. You're old, dusty, gassy and warped. But beautiful. Good night from @space_station! #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: Just took this stunning picture of #SouthEastAsia. #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: #ColorsofEarth Snow white. #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Kelly wrote: #goodnight #Earth! Make me proud and I'll try and do the same. #YearInSpace (Credit: Scott Kelly/Twitter)
Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook. A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.
