51-year-old astronaut is planning to reside in the International Space Station for a full year

THIS man is about to leave for a record-breaking space mission that will determine if humans can travel to Mars.

Astronaut Scott Kelly is preparing for a year in space.

IF you get homesick during a weekend away, chances are you would not be suited for the expedition Scott Kelly is about to begin.

The 51-year-old astronaut is planning to reside in the International Space Station for a full year — six months more than any other American astronaut has spent beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

The mission aims to test the physical and psychological strains space exploration places on the human body.

Mr Kelly said he understands the full extent of a prolonged stay in space is still unknown, but want’s to partake in the mission regardless.

“There are risks and I am willing to accept that for what we are going to learn from it,” Kelly told the ABC.

“That’s one of the things that makes it exciting and something I am really happy to be a part of.”

To help measure the changes occurring to Scott’s body during the mission, his twin brother, Mark, also an astronaut, will remain on earth.

“We need to figure out how people are going to live in space for really long periods of time, especially if we want to send somebody to Mars [and] … build a base on the Moon,” Mark Kelly said.

With a roundtrip to Mars taking 18 months, NASA is hopeful this expedition will help determine if such a journey is logistically possible. News_Image_File: A trip to Mars could soon be a reality.