>> Stephen: MY FIRST GUEST IS AN ASTRONAUT WHO HAS LIVED LONGER
IN SPACE THAN ANY OTHER AMERICAN.
JOINING US FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
PLEASE WELCOME ASTRONAUT SCOTT KELLY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) HEY, SCOTT, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> GOOD TO BE ON YOUR SHOW.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU'RE TAKING TO TALK TO US
ABOUT THE SPACE PROGRAM.
>> Stephen: SPACE IS STILL THE MOST EXCITING THING I CAN
IMAGINE AND TALKING TO SOMEONE IN ORBIT STILL IS-- IT'S LIKE
I'M AN ASTRONAUT RIGHT NOW.
SO THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THE THRILL TO BE TALKING WITH YOU.
NOW, THIS IS HARDLY YOUR FIRST MISSION TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
YOU WERE ON THE '99 MISSION THAT FIXED THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE, A
SECOND MISSION IN 2007 THAT ADDED NEW EQUIPMENT TO THE
STATION, AND ON YOUR THIRD MISSION IN 2010, YOU SPENT 159
DAYS IN SPACE.
HOW LONG ARE YOU UP THIS TIME?
>> THIS TIME IT'S GOING TO BE CLOSE TO A YEAR, NOT-- NOT
EXACTLY A YEAR.
WE LAUNCHED ON MARCH 28, AND WE'RE GOING TO LAND ON MARCH 2.
SO IT'S-- I HAVEN'T DONE THE MATH.
I'M TRYING NOT TO KEEP TRACK OF THE DAYS, BUT IT'S ABOUT 340, I
THINK.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE BEEN IN SPACE LONGER THAN ANY OTHER NASA
ASTRONAUT, ALL RIGHT.
EVERYBODY IS SUCKING YOUR DUST, OR WHATEVER YOU HAVE IN SPACE.
I GUESS IT'S NOT DUST.
( LAUGHTER ) YOU'RE METEORITES.
>> WELL, I-- THAT IS TRUE THAT I HAVE SPENT THE MOST TIME IN
SPACE FOR NOW.
BUT THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THAT WILL BEAT ME, I'M SURE, IN THE
FUTURE.
SO THESE RECORDS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN.
>> Stephen: DID YOU HAVE THE FORESIGHT TO ENROLL IN A
FREQUENT FLIER CLUB BEFORE YOU WENT UP THERE, BECAUSE I
UNDERSTAND YOU'VE TRAVELED 148 MILLION MILES.
THAT'S GOT TO BE AN UPGRADE TO THE SKY CLUB.
>> YEAH, THAT WOULD BE NICE, WOULDN'T IT?
WE DON'T GET PAID AND EXTRA TO DO THIS, BUT IF WE COULD GET THE
MILES, ESPECIALLY THAT MANY, THAT WOULD BE-- THAT WOULD BE
PRETTY AWESOME, BUT UNFORTUNATELY NOT.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO TO SLEEP?
BECAUSE YOUR DAY IS SHORTER THAN MOST PEOPLE'S DAYS.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO GO ALL THE WAY AROUND THE EARTH?
>> IT TAKES US 90 MINUTES, SO 16 TIMES A DAY, SO, YOU KNOW, WE
JUST USE A WATCH TO TELL THE TIME AND WHEN IT'S AROUND 10:30
AT NIGHT, TIME TO GO TO BED.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: THAT WAS LESS IMPRESSIVE THAN I HOPED IT WOULD
BE.
I THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE SOME HIGHLY TECHNICAL WAY YOU DO
THIS.
NO, THAT'S JUST IT, YOU LOOK AT YOUR WATCH?
I HAVE ONE OF THOSE, SCOTT.
>> YEAH, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THIS WORK
PRETTY WELL UP HERE.
>> Stephen: WHY ARE YOU SPENDING SO MUCH TIME IN SPACE?
WHAT IS IT ON THE PLANET YOU'RE TRYING TO ESCAPE?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> WELL, THERE'S-- THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS DOWN THERE THAT, YOU
KNOW, WHEN YOU SEE WHAT'S GOING ON YOU THINK YOU MIGHT LIKE TO
ESCAPE.
BUT WE'RE UP TO HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LIVING IN SPACE FOR A
REALLY LONG TIME SO WE CAN GO TO MARS SOME DAY, AND THE SPACE
STATION IS A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN THAT.
IT'S A WORLD-CLASS LABORATORY, AND WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
IT WHILE WE HAVE IT.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT BEING ON EARTH, OTHER
THAN NOT HAVING TO WEAR A SEAT BELT TO GO TO THE BATHROOM?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> WELL, THERE ARE-- YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS WE
MISS.
YOU KNOW, HUMAN CONTACT, PEOPLE, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY.
AND, ALSO, GOING OUTSIDE IS VERY IMPORTANT.
YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH WE'LL DO A SPACEWALK OCCASIONALLY, IT'S NOT
THE SAME THING AS, YOU KNOW, WALKING OUTSIDE AND HAVING FRESH
AIR AND THE SUN ON YOUR FACE AND, YOU KNOW, FEELING NATURE
AND THE FREEDOM IN A LOT OF CASES TO JUST DO WHAT YOU WANT.
>> Stephen: NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT ONE OF THE REASONS YOU'RE
UP THERE IS BECAUSE YOU'RE AN IDENTICAL TWIN.
YOUR BROTHER, MARK, IS BACK HERE ON AIRCRAFT, AND HE'S ALSO PART
OF THE EXPERIMENT.
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE EXPERIMENT OTHER THAN TO GIVE
YOU BRAGGING RIGHTS OVER YOUR BROTHER?
( LAUGHTER ) WHICH IS A VALID, VALID REASON
TO SPEND A YEAR IN SPACE.
>> YEAH, I GUESS I'LL HAVE SOME-- SOME BRAGGING RIGHTS WHEN
I GET BACK, HAVING SPENT SO MUCH TIME UP HERE.
AND I MIGHT-- I MIGHT ACTUALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT A LITTLE
BIT.
AFTER I WAS ASSIGNED TO THIS FLIGHT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE
RESEARCHERS AT NASA STARTED TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE
FACT THAT WE ARE IDENTICAL TWINS, AND NASA HAS A LOT OF
HISTORY AND DATA ON MY BROTHER.
SO IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE EFFECTS OF THIS
ENVIRONMENT ON THE HUMAN BODY ON A GENETIC LEVEL.
>> Stephen: WHICH OF YOU TWO IS THE EVIL TWIN?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> YEAH, WELL, THAT WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE TO BE MY BROTHER.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: WHAT ARE SOME OF
THE BIG EFFECTS YOU'RE EXPECTING TO SEE WHEN YOU COMPARE MARK TO
YOU, SOMETHING LIKE-- IS BONE DENSITY ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'LL
BE CHECKING?
AT THIS POINT, AFTER A YEAR IN SPACE, WHO HAS GREATER BONE
DENSITY, YOU OR A SPARROW?
>> YEAH, OUR BONES TURN TO DUST WHILE WE'RE UP HERE.
THEY WOULD 99 OVER TIME, IF YOU LIVED HERE FOREVER, YOU
WOULDN'T-- YOU WOULDN'T NEED YOUR BONES, REALLY, TO HOLD
YOUR-- YOU KNOW, YOUR MEAT.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: YOUR MEAT?
YOUR MEAT, SCOTT?
( LAUGHTER ) >> YEAH, YOU'D PROBABLY-- YOU'D
PROBABLY-- YOU KNOW, IF YOU LIVED HERE FOREVER, YOU'D HAVE
NO REASON TO HAVE MUCH OF A SKELETON, SO-- BUT LIKE I SAID,
WE DO THINGS TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M SURE MY BROTHER WILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT
MORE-- MORE BONE MASS WHEN I GET BACK, BUT HOPEFULLY I'LL BE
BETTER IN OTHER WAYS.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: NOW, DO YOU GET A CHANCE TO EXERCISE UP THERE?
HAVE YOU BEEN ON TO MY TREADMILL, THE COLBERT, THE
COMBINED OPERATIONAL LOAD-BEARING EXTERNAL RESISTANCE
TREADMILL?
>> WE HAVE.
I WAS ON IT TODAY, AND IT'S A GREAT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT.
YOU SHOULD BE VERY PROUD FOR PROVIDING THAT TO NASA.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE WELCOME, SCOTT.
( APPLAUSE ) YOU'RE WELCOME.
I PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO THAT.
IS THERE ANY PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT UP THERE?
I MEAN, DO YOU-- IS THERE-- I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS
HOW OFTEN DO YOU EXPERIENCE SPAAAACE MAAADNESS?
>> I THINK NASA DOES A GOOD JOB OF PICKING FOLKS TO DO THIS KIND
OF THING.
ALTHOUGH I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN UP HERE A LONG TIME I DON'T FEEL
LIKE I'M CLOSE AT ALL TO SPACE MADNESS.
>> Stephen: WHO ELSE IS UP THERE WITH YOU?
HOW MANY COUNTRIES?
>> SO RIGHT NOW THERE ARE SIX OF US ON BOARD, THREE RUSSIAN
COSMONAUTS, ANOTHER AMERICAN ASTRONAUT, AND THE FIRST BRITISH
ASTRONAUT FROM-- OFFICIAL BRITISH ASTRONAUT, ACTUALLY
WORKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT, FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM, TIM PEAKE.
>> Stephen: DOES THE BRITISH ASTRONAUT DRIVE THE SPACE
STATION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ORBIT?
>> YEAH, I GUESS THERE ARE THINGS THAT I'VE RECOGNIZED THAT
HE DOES A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU BLOW OFF STEAM?
ARE YOU ALLOWED TO HAVE, MAYBE, A LITTLE COCKTAIL AT THE END OF
THE DAY OR SHARE A BEER WITH YOUR COMPATRIOTS?
>> THAT WOULD BE NICE, BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S AGAINST
THE RULES.
>> Stephen: ARE YOU TELLING ME THE RUSSIANS DID NOT BRING ANY
VODKA?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> AS FAR AS I KNOW, THERE IS NO VODKA ON THE SPACE STATION.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE BECOME A CELEBRITY ON THE INTERNET
BECAUSE YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT SHOWING DAILY PICTURES FROM
SPACE NOW HAVE OVER 600,000 FOLLOWERS, AND YOUR PHOTOS HAVE
BEEN SHARED COUNTLESS TIMES.
YOU'RE SOMETHING OF THE KIM KARDASHIAN OF THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU COULD BALANCE ON YOUR ASS AT THIS POINT?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> OKAY.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: THAT WAS ANSWERED WITH GREAT DISCRETION, SCOTT.
I SALUTE YOU.
SCOTT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH US.
GOOD LUCK IN SPACE.
WATCH OUT FOR THE SPACE MADNESS, AND WE HOPE WE CAN SEE YOU AGAIN
WHEN YOU GET BACK TO EARTH IN MARCH.
>> MY PLEASURE, STEPHEN.
AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME JOIN YOUR SHOW TODAY.
>> Stephen: OH, IT'S OUR HONOR.
SCOTT KELLY FROM SPACE, EVERYBODY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK-- OH!
AND HE NAILS IT IT!