Astronaut Scott Kelly makes Time’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ list

The brother-in-law of former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has made Time Magazine‘s “100 Most Influential People” list.

Astronaut Scott Kelly, brother of retired astronaut Mark Kelly, was included in the “Pioneers” section of Time‘s prestigious list after his yearlong mission aboard the International Space Station will provide tremendous insight into the effects of zero gravity on the human body.

Former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn had this to say to Time about Kelly’s extended stay in space:

Scott Kelly’s yearlong mission aboard the International Space Station is indeed worthy of special note and attention. We need to know much more about human reaction to long-term spaceflight before any deeper exploratory missions can be planned. But what may be of greater significance to all of us here on Earth is research into the remarkable similarities between how the body changes in zero-G and how it changes as a result of ordinary aging. If we learn more about one, we could apply that same knowledge toward arresting both.

Aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, Kelly — along with Russian astronaut Mikhail Korniyenko — reached the International Space Station on March 27 and will remain there until both are scheduled to return to Earth in the spring of 2016.