Astronaut Twins Available for Interviews about Yearlong Space Station Mission, Health Study

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Jan 14, 2015, 05:11 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA will host an opportunity for media to conduct in-person interviews with astronaut Scott Kelly and his twin brother, former astronaut Mark Kelly, Monday, Jan. 19.

The twins will be available for in-person interviews from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. EST at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The opportunity previously had been planned for Tuesday, Jan. 20, but was changed due to a scheduling conflict.

Scott and his Russian colleague, cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, embark March 27 on the first-ever yearlong mission to the International Space Station. Mark, who flew four space shuttle missions and commanded the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour, will participate in biomedical studies on the ground while his twin is aboard the orbiting laboratory.

The valuable scientific data collected will provide insight into how the human body responds to longer durations in space, supporting the next generation of space exploration. In addition to a full suite of investigations to be conducted during the mission, scientists plan to compare medical data from the twins to better understand the results gleaned from Scott's extended mission.

To participate in the interviews, reporters must contact Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters at 281-483-5111 or [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15.

More information about the International Space Station and its crews is available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Scott Kelly is sharing his mission preparation and journey to space on Twitter at:

http://www.twitter.com/StationCDRKelly

For Scott Kelly's full biography, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kellysj.html

For Mark Kelly's full NASA biography, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kellyme.html

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SOURCE NASA