>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK,
EVERYBODY. GLAEGZ, I'M AWFULLY EXCITED
BECAUSE MY NEXT GUEST IS A VETERAN ASTRONAUTS WHO SPEND A
RECORD-SETTING 340 CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN ORBIT. PLEASE WELCOME CAPTAIN SCOTT
KELLY! <i>( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
HEY, SCOTT.</i> NICE TO MEET YOU IN PERSON. COME ON UP HERE. ♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: THAT I LIKE. ISN'T THAT NICE? WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY GREAT
ENOUGH WHERE THEY STILL STAND UP FOR ASTRONAUTS. THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE IN AMERICA. <i>( APPLAUSE ).</i> >> WE STILL LIVE IN A COUNTRY. >> Stephen: STILL A GREAT
COUNTRY. NOW, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU
AND I HAVE EVER SPOKEN IN PERSON. >> THAT'S RIGHT. >> Stephen: I'VE SPOKEN TO YOU
SEVERAL TIMES WHEN YOU WERE UP ON THE SPACE STATION, AND I HAVE
ACTUALLY SPOKEN WITH YOUR TWIN BROTHER, MARK. HE AND I LANDED THE SPACE
SHUTTLE SIMULATOR TOGETHER. >> AND I THINK YOU INVITED HIM
HERE BEFORE YOU INVITED ME, RIGHT? >> Stephen: I THINK YOU WERE
IN SPACE. I THINK WE WOULD HAVE HAD YOU
ON, BUT YOU WERE IN ORBIT. 340 DAYS IN ORBIT. GIVEN-- GIVEN THE STATE OF THE
EARTH, DO YOU EVER WISH YOU WERE STILL UP THERE. >> EVERY DAY, EVERY DAY. >> Stephen: CAN WE SHOW THE
VIEW? <i>( APPLAUSE )
JIM, LET'S SHOW PEOPLE THE VIEW.</i> SO THOSE ARE-- THOSE ARE YOUR
SOCKS RIGHT THERE, RIGHT? WE'RE LOOKING AT A PICTURE OF--
>> THESE ARE MY SOCKS HERE, TOO. >> Stephen: THOSE ARE YOUR
SOCKS. >> Stephen: NO, THOSE FEET
RIGHT THERE. >> OH! >> Stephen: THOSE FEET RIGHT
THERE. THOSE ARE YOUR SOCKS. >> I SEE THEM. THE ONES WITH THE HOLES IN THEM. >> Stephen: ARE THOSE SPECIAL
SPACE SOCKS OR ARE THEY LANDS END SOCKS. >> I THINK THEY'RE PATAGONIA. >> Stephen: DID YOU HOLD UP
YOUR PATAGONIA SOCKS AND YOU WERE FLYING OVER PATAGONIA. >> WE JOKED ABOUT IT. WE HEAR THERE'S A GIFT SHOP
THERE WHERE YOU CAN GET SWEATERS. >> Stephen: WHAT ARE WE
LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW? >> IT'S THE BAHAMAS. I CAN TELL BECAUSE IT'S SO BLUE
AND EXPANSIVE, BEAUTIFUL. >> Stephen: DID YOU EVER GET
TIRED OF IT? LIKE AFTER-- AT WHAT POINT DID
YOU GET CRANKY AFTER 340 DAYS? >> I NEVER GOT TIRED OF THE VIEW
BUT THERE WAS ONE DAY TOWARD THE END WHERE I OPENED UP THE
BEHINDO AND I SEE WITHIN A COUPLE OF SECONDS A PATCH OF
SAND THAT I RECOGNIZED IMMEDIATELY AS A SPOT JUST NORTH
OF MOGADISHU IN AFRICA, AND I WAS LIKE, IT'S TIME TO GO HOME
NOW. >> Stephen: YOU DIDN'T
LITERALLY OPEN THE WINDOW, RIGHT? >> WELL, NOT TO LET --
>> Stephen: BECAUSE THAT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA! >> NOT TO LET THE AIR OUT. >> Stephen: OKAY, ALL RIGHT. WHEN YOU'RE UP THERE, WHAT DOES
IT SMELL LIKE IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. BECAUSE THE SMELLS-- YOU CAN'T
GET RID OF THE SMELLS UP THERE. >> THEY LICKER LONGER WITHOUT
GRAVITY. >> Stephen: DO YOU WEAR
COLOGNE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? >> I DIDN'T. >> Stephen: DO THE RUSSIANS
WEAR COLOGNE? >> POSSIBLY. I DIDN'T CHECK. >> Stephen: BUT YOU WORKED
WITH THEM, RIGHT? >> YES. >> Stephen: YEAH. WHAT'S IT LIKE--
>> THEY DIDN'T SMELL ANY WORSE THAN US. WE ALL SMELLED. >> Stephen: WHAT'S IT LIKE
SLEEPING IN SPACE? >> SLEEPING IS HARD. >> Stephen: WHY? >> BECAUSE ALL DAY LONG ON EARTH
WE ARE OPPOSING GRAVITY, AND WHEN YOU COME HOME AND SIT DOWN
ON THE COUCH TO WATCH YOUR SHOW, FOR INSTANCE, AND THEN, YOU
KNOW, YOU'RE MORE COMFORTABLE, AND LATER WHEN YOU GO TO BED
YOU'RE MORE COMFORTABLE. IN SPACE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER
YOU'RE FLOATING LIKE THIS WORKING OR FLOATING LIKE THIS,
YOU KNOW, DOING A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT OR WORKING ON THE
COMPUTER OR GOING TO SLEEP, SAME LEVEL OF COMFORT, WHICH MAKES IT
HARD TO GO TO SLEEP. >> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT-- WHAT
ABOUT CLOSING YOUR EYES? I UNDERSTAND, LIKE, THERE ARE
GRAYS UP THERE THAT FKD YOU. >> THERE IS COSMIC RADIATION
THAT YOU CAN SEE WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED, LITTLE FLASHES LIKE
FIREWORKS. AND THEN WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT
RADIATION IS ALSO GOING THROUGH YOUR BRAIN, KIND OF KEEPS YOU UP
AT NIGHT. ( LAUGHTER )
A LITTLE BIT. >> Stephen: SO WHEN YOU CLOSE
YOUR EYES, IT DOESN'T GET DARK. EVEN IF YOU'RE IN A DARK ROOM
WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED THERE ARE LITTLE SPARKS GOING OFF? >> OCCASIONALLY, YEAH,
ABSOLUTELY. >> Stephen: DO YOU GAIN-- DO
YOU GAIN HEIGHT IN SPACE? IS THAT WHAT HAPPENS? >> I STRETCHED. >> Stephen: YOU STRETCH. BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT BEING
COMPACTED BY GRAVITY? >> CORRECT. SO I'M LIKE 5'6" NOW. MY BROTHER IS STILL THREE FOOT
SIX. I GREW TWO FEET. >> Stephen: WELL, THAT TAKES
ME TO PART OF THE REASONS WHY YOU WENT UP THERE IS THAT YOU
HAVE A TWIN BROTHER, MARK ALSO AN ASTRONAUT. THEY HAVE YEARS OF DATA ON YOUR
HEALTH AND ON YOUR PHYSICAL CONDITION. AND YOU GUYS DID THIS TWIN
STUDY. SO YOU WENT UP THERE FOR NEARLY
A YEAR, 340 DAYS. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE TWO OF YOU WHEN YOU CAME BACK? WERE THERE MARKED DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN, LIKE, YOUR BONE DENSITY AND HIS? >> SO A LOT OF THIS STUDY WAS
GENETIC-BASED. SO THE SUSPICION OF THE--, YOU
KNOW, THE HYPOTHESIS OF THE EXPERIMENT WAS I WOULD GO UP IN
SPACE AND BE EXPOSED TO RADIATION, A LOT OF RADIATION,
YOU KNOW, HARSH ENVIRONMENT, STRESS. I WOULD AGE, AS REFLECTED BY MY
TELOMERES AT A FASTER RATE. THE MERES ARE AN INDICATION OF
OUR PHYSICAL AGE. >> Stephen: THERE'S A COIL OF
PROTEIN, CHROMOSOMES. >> THEY THOUGHT I WOULD GET
OLDER, AND THE SUSPICION WAS AS WE AGED, MAYBE I WOULD LOOK
OLDER THAN MY BROTHER. WHEN WE WOULD GET TO BE 60, HE
WOULD LOOK 60 AND I WOULD LOOK 70. BUT I THINK IF THAT HAPPENS,
WHAT REALLY HAPPENS IS MY BROTHER WOULD GET BOTOX. SEEMS LIEB THE KIND OF THING HE
MIGHT DO. >> Stephen: DO YOU LORD IT
OVER YOUR BROTHER THAT YOU SPENT MORE TIME IN SPACE THAN HE DID? >> EVERY CHANCE I GET. <i>( APPLAUSE ).</i> >> Stephen: WELL, HERE YOU
ARE-- HERE YOU ARE BEING TAKEN OUT OF THE CAPSULE WHEN IT
LANDED IN KAZAKHSTAN. WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU WANT
TO DO WHEN YOU GET BACK ON EARTH AFTER ALL THAT TIME IN SPACE? >> UM, YOU MEAN, LIKE THE FIRST
THING I COULD TELL YOU ABOUT? <i>( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: IT'S NOT A NEWS</i> SHOW, SIR. THERE'S-- WE HAVE NO DIGNITY
HERE! >> I WENT HOME AND I JUMPED IN
MY SWIMMING POOL. BECAUSE I HADN'T TAKEN A SHOWER
IN A YEAR. SO I WAS --
>> Stephen: WOW! >> YEAH. >> Stephen: WOW. >> AND I JUST WANTED WATER --
>> Stephen: THERE WAS CHLORINE IN THE POOL I HOPE. >> THERE WAS. >> Stephen: BECAUSE YOU CAN'T
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE SPACE. >> FOR A YEAR. >> Stephen: DO YOU EVER GET
TIRED OF BREATHING THAT AIR IN AND SUCK IT OUT. EVERY ASTRONAUT WHO GOES UP
THERE DOES THAT TRICK FOR US. >> AND PLAYING WITH YOUR FOOD
AND STUFF, THAT GOING TO OLD AFTER A WHILE. >> Stephen: UH-HUH, YEAH. ( LAUGHTER )
I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO SPACE. IS IT-- IS IT-- WOULD YOU
RECOMMEND IT? >> I WOULD. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE. IT'S A PRIVILEGE. IT'S THE-- YOU KNOW, IT WAS A
PROFESSIONAL, YOU KNOW, LIKE ACHIEVEMENT OF MY LIFE BEING
ABLE TO SPEND THAT AMOUNT OF TIME IN SPACE. ESPECIALLY FOR A KID LIKE ME WHO
WAS AS-- GROWING UP THIS KID THAT COULDN'T PAY ATTENTION IN
SCHOOL. IF I WAS IN SCHOOL TODAY, I
WOULD BE THE KID WITH A.D.D., OR A.D.H.D. >> Stephen: YOU TALK ABOUT
THIS IN YOUR BOOK "ENDURANCE," WHICH IS NOT ONLY ABOUT YOUR
TIME IN SPACE BUT YOUR LIFE AND WHAT IT TOOK TO GET THERE. YOU WEREN'T A GOOD STUDENT. I THOUGHT YOU HAD TO BE A GOOD
STUDENT TO BE AN ASTRONAUT. >> YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE THINK
THAT. AND THEY THINK THAT--<i>
( LAUGHTER )</i> THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE THE
SMARTEST KID IN THE CLASS GROWING UP. BUT I WAS THE EXACT OPPOSITE,
LOOKING OUT THE BEHINDO, DAYDREAMING. AND IT WASN'T UNTIL I WAS IN
COLLEGE AND PICKED UP THE BOOK "THE RIGHT STUFF," AND IT, YOU
KNOW, INSPIRED ME THAT I COULD DO MORE, IF I COULD ONLY BE A
BETTER STUDENT. >> Stephen: DID YOU END UP
MEETING ANY OF THE GUYS WHO WERE PROFILED IN "THE RIGHT STUFF." >> YEAHING, ABSOLUTELY OVER THE
YEARS, YEAH. >> Stephen: DID YOU TELL THEM,
"THIS IS WHAT INSPIRED ME TO BE AN ASTRONAUT?"
>> NO, I DIDN'T. I TOLD TOM WOLF, THOUGH. >> Stephen: YOU TOLD TOM WOLF? >> I TOLD TOM WOLF. >> Stephen: SO IF THERE ARE
OTHER KID OUT THERE WHO MIGHT BE A LITTLE A.D.D., WHO MIGHT BE
STARING OUT THE WINDOW. THERE'S HOPE FOR THEM, IF THEY
JUST BUCKLE DOWN THEY COULD STARE DOWN THIS WINDOW, TOO. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> Stephen: THANKS SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE. THANKS FOR GOING THERE. "ENDURANCE" IS OUT NOW. CAPTAIN SCOTT KELLY, EVERYBODY.
If it was me I would take a dump. Just getting that gravity back would be awesome.
Jump in his pool since he couldn’t shower for a year.
I'm reading his book now, and so far it's really good. He's had a really interesting and in some ways difficult life.
Having only read one other astronaut memoir (Chris Hadfield's), Scott's strikes me as more down to Earth.