Astronaut Scott Kelly has spent the last year thousands of miles from his family, but he never lost sight of home.
In less than a week he will head home and he’s opening up about his time in space before that happens.
“I started counting down when we got to 10 days left, which was a few days ago,” Kelly said.
Kelly is one of two participants in NASA’s mission, the first American to spend a year in orbit.
As of Thursday, Kelly has orbited the Earth 5,344 times.
“You know you definitely have a different perspective on the Earth and things that happen down there,” Kelly said. “I’m actually looking at it right now, the window’s open.”
“I follow the news very closely, have it on during the work day and in the evenings as we float through node 1, there I know you glance at it,” he said.
“So I keep, uh, probably more in touch with what’s going on on Earth when I’m in space than when I’m actually on Earth,” Kelly said.
Kelly has posted photos on social media throughout his mission. His awe-inspiring pictures of his home planet have become a huge hit.
“And, uh, you know just the ability to press our limits with regard to explore—exploration and discovery. I think it’s been a privilege of being part of that and it’s something that I’m going to miss,” he said.
“But you know I’ve been up here a long, for a long time, and I’m looking forward to going home,” Kelly added.
The astronaut is expected to make his homecoming on Sunday.
When Kelly returns, he will have traveled more than 143 million miles in space.
When Kelly was asked about the one thing he’s looking forward to most upon his return, “Human contact, you know the people you love on Earth, your family, your friends, people you miss."
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