NASA Twins Study Investigators to Release Integrated Paper in 2018
Identical twin astronauts, Scott and Mark Kelly, are subjects of NASA’s Twins Study. Scott (left) spent a year in space while Mark (right) stayed on Earth as a control subject. Researchers looked at the effects of space travel on the human body.
Media Credit: NASA
NASA’s Twins Study saw astronaut Scott Kelly spend one year living on the International Space Station while his identical twin brother, astronaut Mark Kelly, remained on Earth as a control subject. Since the Kelly twins are the only identical twin astronauts in history, NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration scientists found this to be an opportunity for a nature versus nurture study. Researchers were able to share biological samples taken from each twin before, during, and after Scott’s mission gaining knowledge as to how the body could be affected by extended time in space.