The two astronauts include the U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly, and a Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. They took off at 3:42 ET from Kazakhstan.
They will be reaching the International Space Station (ISS) in less than six hours. Another cosmonaut is traveling with them to the ISS, Gennady Padalka. She will be staying only for six months, which is the standard tour.
Scott Kelly was reluctant to go at first, but later was encouraged to go by friends and family. The team hopes to learn more about how the body is affected by microgravity, in preparation for hopefully longer missions to Mars - and beyond.
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Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/03/27/astronaut-kelly-ready-for-record-setting-space-trip/70528834/
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Graphics: Mine
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Keywords: rocket, launched, Scott Kelly, astronaut, ISS, International Space Station