Scott Kelly is an American astronaut, engineer, and retired U.S. Navy Captain. During his time with NASA, Kelly went on four space flights and commanded the International Space Station (ISS) on Expeditions 26, 44, and 45. These last two expeditions were commanded by Kelly during his year-long mission to ISS, along with cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko. This mission, developed for the purpose of researching longer-term missions to Mars and beyond, began on March 27, 2015, and ended with a safe return to Earth on March 1, 2016. During that time, Kelly took thousands of photographs of Earth, from city lights to strange "Earth Art" formations across the globe.

With 340 days in space, Kelly holds the record for consecutive days in space by an American astronaut. Part of what made Kelly an ideal candidate for the year long mission was the access of a "control group": his twin brother, Mark Kelly, is a former astronaut. The Kelly brothers are the only siblings to have traveled in space. Kelly will retire from NASA beginning April 1, 2016.