{"id":19431,"date":"2016-03-12T00:52:43","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T16:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/astronaut-scott-kelly-announces-retirement-from-nasa-just-days-after-return-from-year-in-space\/"},"modified":"2016-03-12T00:52:43","modified_gmt":"2016-03-11T16:52:43","slug":"astronaut-scott-kelly-announces-retirement-from-nasa-just-days-after-return-from-year-in-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/astronaut-scott-kelly-announces-retirement-from-nasa-just-days-after-return-from-year-in-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronaut Scott Kelly announces retirement from NASA, just days after return from year in space"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Scott
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly takes a selfie from the International Space Station during his year in orbit. (Credit: Scott Kelly \/ NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Godspeed, Scott Kelly.<\/p>\n

Ten days after finishing up nearly a year in space, the veteran of four spaceflights announced today that he would retire from NASA on April 1. But he also promised to stay involved in the space effort, even after adding 143.8 million miles to his orbital odometer.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur universe is a big place, and we have many millions of miles yet to explore,\u201d he said in a Facebook posting. \u201cMy departure from NASA is my next step on that journey. I remain ever committed and dedicated to the service of human exploration and advancement whether in space or on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

With 540 days in space under his belt, Kelly is almost certain to have surpassed NASA\u2019s lifetime limits for radiation exposure. Scientists acknowledged even before the 52-year-old\u2019s return to Earth on March 1 that his chances of taking on another spaceflight for NASA were virtually nil. But Kelly hasn\u2019t ruled out the idea of flying into space for a commercial venture like SpaceX or Boeing.<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t have to look far for an example. His twin brother, Mark Kelly, retired from the astronaut corps in 2011 and is now director of flight crew operations for World View Enterprises, which aims to send passengers into the stratosphere in a balloon-borne capsule.<\/p>\n