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CHICAGO (AP) — Three Chicago-area universities are taking part in the research to examine the health effects on an American astronaut of spending a year in space.
The Chicago Tribune reports that scientists from Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago and Rush University Medical School will focus on the links between bacteria, gastrointestinal health and sleep cycles. The Chicago team is one of 10 such NASA-funded groups.
Astronaut Scott Kelly and a Russian colleague floated into the International Space Station on Saturday. They're expected to spend 342 days in orbit. That's about twice as long as a standard mission on the station. Another Russia astronaut will stay on board for six months.
Kelly's 51-year-old identical twin will remain on Earth. Retired astronaut Mark Kelly will serve as a control subject in the research. Mark Kelly is the husband of former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was seriously wounded when she was shot in the head on January 8, 2011 at an event in suburban Tucson.
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