Um, @StationCDRKelly, I thought you said you had things under control up there on @Space_Station? #ApeInSpace pic.twitter.com/wYu1auoA6W— Mark Kelly (@ShuttleCDRKelly) February 23, 2016
What happens when retired astronaut Mark Kelly sends his twin brother, astronaut Scott Kelly and and ISS commander, a gorilla suit for fun? Let’s just call this an episode of Gorilla in the M-ISS-t.
Who said life aboard the International Space Station needs to be boring? Obviously not astronaut twins Mark and Scott Kelly.
Mark Kelly, who is now a retired astronaut, used his connections at NASA to send a care package to his brother – a gorilla suit. Scott Kelly, who is commander of the current ISS mission, decided to oblige and hijinks ensued. Mark was nice enough to tweet the onboard escapades for the world to see.
Scott is scheduled to return home next week after almost a year in space. NASA has had the rare opportunity to study the effects of space on Scott, and then compare the genomic profile changes to Mark.
“The mission will continue even after Scott returns,” said John Charles, chief scientist of the NASA Human Research Program. “For the one-year mission research, we will be collecting post-flight medical data three-months and six-months after he is back on Earth. For the twins study research, we will continue to collect data as far out as a year after his return.”
Whether further study includes the gorilla suit remains to be seen.
Source: Twitter
