Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Is Returning to Earth After 340 Days in Space

Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Is Returning to Earth After 340 Days in Space


Following a 340 day trip to space, American astronaut Scott Kelly is coming home. This voyage 249 miles above the earth was the longest of its kind ever taken by an American. Scott was sent into space for the purpose of identifying what happens to a human body that is exposed to the conditions of space for long periods of time. This so that we know how to prepare for a Mars landing. Scott and his brother Mark, who is also an astronaut, will be examined together in order to have a control and experimental group. In space, Scott witnessed an amazing 10,944 sunrises and sunsets. Scott can now say that he has spent a total of 540 days of his life in space. His 340 day trip easily bested the former American record of 215 days, but failed to compete with the overall record of 438 days, set by cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov. Scott enjoyed his experience and would do it again if offered the chance, and livened things up by dressing up as a gorilla, going on a spacewalk, and eating the first lettuce grown and harvested in space. He claimed that the lettuce was “Kind of like arugula,” and captioned this momentous occasion “It was one small bite for man, one giant leap for#NASAVEGGIE and our #JourneytoMars. #YearInSpace”.

This article greatly relates to our society. This is paving the way for truly interplanetary space travel, which is not only a hot topic for governments but also private companies such as Space X. The findings from this adventure will undoubtedly prove essential in our quest for adventure as time goes on. Additionally, because this is preparation for a Mars mission, it has the potential to indirectly inspire millions of people both in America and around the world to look up at the sky and make something more of themselves. A Mars landing would capture the world’s attention just as the moon landing did. Sending a man to another planet will have a profound impact on our society, and this is one of the first steps towards that noble goal.

I thought this article was excellent. It was very informative but also kept itself light and upbeat. If I had to add something I would add more about the future Mars mission, such as a rough timeline of the preparation and further depth as to how this research is helping to bring us closer to that goal. All in all, this article was a solid 8.5/10.

Victor, Daniel. "Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Is Returning to Earth After 340 Days in Space." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Mar. 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/02/science/scott-kelly-astronaut-nasa-space-station-return.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront>.

7 comments:

  1. I found should review of “Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Is Returning to Earth After 340 Days in Space” very insightful. I had already seen articles of a similar heading but I had not had time to read into the topic. Sean did a very good job in summarizing the topic in a very concise, simple manner so that it was easy to read and easy to absorb. I also like how Sean incorporated some of the tweets and more comical parts of the mission into his review to make it more enjoyable to read. Finally, I felt as though Sean did a very good job critiquing the article in his final paragraph. I’m glad that Sean said where the article was lacking so that I would know what to look for when I look further into this topic.
    While Sean’s review was very well written, there are a few areas where it could have been improved. First, Sean introduce the idea of “private companies such as Space X.” Unfortunately, I have no prior knowledge of what Space X is and would have liked a small explanation of how they could be related to this NASA project. Also, Sean says that “Scott can now say that he has spent a total of 540 days of his life in space.” I would have liked it if Sean had gone into what the other 200 days were attributed to, especially if it is related to this current mission.
    As said earlier, I had seen article on this topic but had not been able to look into it yet. This review has inspired me to look further into Kelly’s return and the effect which an extended stay in space may have had on his body. This will give precursors towards our odds of successfully sending a team to Mars.

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  2. Nick Saluti
    3/1/16

    You did a good job describing the context of the article. You had many specific details that were important to the reader’s understanding of the article. You also established what the experiment wanted to accomplish and what NASA hoped to learn. You also did a good job connecting the experiment to development in the private sector. Additionally you linked the experiment to possible future landmarks in space travel.
    One thing that I wish you did more of is describing the effects of spending that amount of time in space on the human body. I imagine that a year in a space environment leads to specific changes in the human body. It would have been beneficial to elaborate on that topic. I also wish that you spent some time detailing the circumstances of the cosmonaut. If he really spent over an entire year in space I would be interested in hearing his story as well.
    I was really surprised that someone willingly stayed in a space station environment for so long. To be cut off from the rest of the world that long must have some psychological consequences.

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  3. Sean did a great job of reviewing his article about Scott Kelly, the astronaut that recently returned from space after a yearlong journey. He discussed in detail the training that Kelly underwent in order to go into space, which helped make clear the enormous amount of work that astronauts do in order to go into space. Also, Sean clearly explained this article as it relates to our society today, and discussed the emergence of private space travel companies and previous findings that have proved essential in our exploration of different planets. Sean also reviewed the article really well, noting that the tone author’s tone was “light and upbeat” and provided a channel into the workings of modern space travel and how space exploration really works.
    I thought that Sean could have included some of the obstacles that Scott Kelly faced on his journey, as it is normal to encounter a few setbacks on these types of missions. This would help the reader to understand the reality of space travel, and show that there are risks to going up into space. Additionally, Sean could have more clearly explained the purpose of Kelly’s mission. He did mention that the astronaut was sent into space to figure out what happens to the human body when exposed to space for a long time, but it would have been helpful to understand what he concluded on his journey and what other scientists took from it.
    Overall, I thought that Sean did a great job reviewing this article. I had heard about Scott Kelly’s mission and return to earth, but did not know much of the information included in his review. I look forward to hearing more about the findings of this mission.

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  4. I think this article was very interesting. It is definitely relevant to today’s society as we prepare to go to Mars. I think the summary was very smooth and relatively thorough, so all in all, it was easy to read. I also think that quote from Kelly about the taste of the lettuce was really interesting and funny. Lastly, I think that Sean did a good job critiquing the article and giving it a rating.

    I would have liked a little more background on the effects Scott Kelly has reported that his time in space has had on his body. I also would have like some quotes from the article to hear the writer’s voice and opinion in the summary section.

    I had no idea why Scott Kelly was in space, so I think it is really interesting to see the results of this experiment, so hopefully we can take a step forward to being able to put a man on Mars.

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  5. I think this article was very interesting. It is definitely relevant to today’s society as we prepare to go to Mars. He discussed in detail the training that Kelly underwent in order to go into space, which helped make clear the enormous amount of work that astronauts do in order to go into space. Also, Sean clearly explained this article as it relates to our society today, and discussed the emergence of private space travel companies and previous findings that have proved essential in our exploration of different planets. One thing that I wish you did more of is describing the effects of spending that amount of time in space on the human body. I thought that Sean could have included some of the obstacles that Scott Kelly faced on his journey, as it is normal to encounter a few setbacks on these types of missions. I think it is really interesting to see the results of this experiment, so hopefully we can take a step forward to being able to put a man on Mars.

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  6. Ellie Briskin AP Biology C Even
    March 10, 2016 Current Event 14 Comment

    Victor, Daniel. "Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Is Returning to Earth After 340 Days in Space." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Mar. 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
    .

    Awesome job with this review, Sean! First off, you summarized everything clearly and seemingly with ease, covering all of the main points of the article without including any extraneous details. Not only that, but you were able to establish a connection to how this topic affects human beings today, something that many people struggle with in these current events; you helped the reader see how Scott Kelly’s experiences greatly contribute to our understanding of what life is like in space, which contributes to our knowledge of how we may be able to live on Mars. The possibility of living in space would undoubtedly change all of humanity’s lives, for, I mean, we could sustainably colonize on another planet! Thirdly, your writing style was very easy to read and follow, yet remained extremely informative. This is an extremely hard quality to find in nonfiction writings, which are usually either much oversimplified or much overcomplicated; this hints at a real knack you have for writing intellectual reviews!

    Sean, it's so hard to think of any area which could benefit from improvement! But if anything, you may benefit from some more outside information in general. I’m still not clear on how Sean was able to live in space for so long, and how he and the other astronauts were able to grow food. This took away from my ability to understand the context that this article was written under and the conditions that Kelly was living in. Also, I would have liked to hear more about how scientists are able to coordinate landings from the ISS onto Earth. Secondly, although your writing on its own, Sean, was great, the professionalism of the article could have been enhanced with the inclusion of more quotes. Although this is overall not too significant, the use of scientific quotes would have legitimized your argument and made it stronger.

    But on the whole, Sean, this review was astounding. Your writing and analysis blew me away. It really taught me a lot about the progress we have made toward finding a way to live sustainably in space, a topic I was aware of before but not very knowledgeable about. After reading this, I'll be sure to pay closer attention to similar articles from NASA, or articles pertaining to the quest to know how humanity can one day live on Mars. Of course, discoveries in this topic also force me to remember that scientifically, there is always room for improvement, and that no progress in any field is ever truly completed; why stop at advances in our solar system when you can venture light years away?! Overall, I chose this article because of my lack of knowledge of the topic, and am extremely glad that this is the one I read. Thanks, Sean, for giving me such a great read!

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  7. Sean did a great job of reviewing the article “Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Is Returning to Earth After 340 Days in Space” by Daniel Victor. He provided great background to Kelly’s journey into space, starting with the rigorous training an astronaut goes through to prepare for space. Sean was able to summarize all the main parts of the article in a concise manner as well. The connection drawn to our lives was well thought out. Connecting Kelly’s time in space to taking the next step, traveling to Mars. Sean said that a trip to Mars would inspire people just like the Moon landings did.
    I would have liked Sean to include more on why Kelly went to space. He said that it was to study the effects that space has on the body, but Sean never mentions anything specific, or things that they have found. It would have been interesting to know exactly how NASA sends people up to the ISS, and how they get down. It seems like it would be complicated.
    I learned a lot about the ISS, and Scott Kelly from reading this article that I had not previously known. I found it interesting to hear about what the next steps in space travel are, and what we are doing now to try and make it happen.

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