10 amazing photos from astronaut Scott Kelly's year in space

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist

March 2,2016; 10:52AM,EST

 

 

On Tuesday evening, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth, concluding his extended mission on the International Space Station.
The duration of Kelly's mission fell just shy of a whole year, lasting 340 days. However, Kelly has spent well over a year in space between all of his missions, totaling a NASA record of 520 days.
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Scott Kelly photographs cities from all around the world
Traveling at over 17,000 mph, the International Space Station orbits the Earth more than 10 times faster than a speeding bullet. At this speed, the station and its crew complete one orbit about every 90 minutes.
This means that over the 340 days that Kelly spent in space, he orbited the Earth over 5,400 times and traveled a distance of more than 143 million miles.
Kelly documented his historic mission on social media, taking hundreds of pictures of places all around the world, giving people a glimpse of the planet from the eyes of an astronaut.
1. The sun reflects off one of Earth's vast oceans
2. The moon illuminates the part of Earth facing away from the sun

3. Sunrise from the International Space Station
4. Dozens of rivers zigzag their way across Earth's surface
5. Lake Tengis, Kazakhstan, appears a vibrant purple and green from the International Space Station
6. The aurora lights up planet Earth
7. Chicago lights up at night as the northern lights glow over Canada
8. City lights illuminate Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, during this cloud-free night
9. The blizzard of 2016 as it buries the northeastern U.S. in snow
10. Typhoon Soudelor as it tracks across the Pacific Ocean

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