In its press release, NASA stated:
"In order for us to eventually move beyond low Earth orbit, we need to better understand how humans adapt to long-term spaceflight," said Michael Suffredini, International Space Station program manager. "The space station serves as a vital scientific resource for teaching us those lessons, and this yearlong expedition aboard the complex will help us move closer to those journeys."
But then I had a case of deja vu. I thought the Russians did this years ago. And they did on that often forgotten Russian space station Mir (Russian for "Peace" or "World"). Mir operated from 1986 to 2001 and during that time the Russians became very familiar with long durations in space. Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov still holds the record for the longest period in space, remaining on Mir for more than 14 months (437 days 18 hours) in one trip.
So a year in space has already been tested, and the Russians should be proud of this feat. What NASA needs to do is look to new adventures, such as the gateway spacecraft on the far side of the moon.
