NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. Kelly and Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) spent a year on the space station to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh environment of space. Data from the expedition will be used to determine whether there are ways to further reduce the risks on future long-duration missions to an asteroid and eventually Mars. The crew supported several hundred experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard the orbiting laboratory. Data and samples were collected throughout the year from a series of studies involving Scott and his twin brother, former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly. The studies will compare data from the genetically identical Kelly brothers to identify any subtle changes caused by spaceflight.