From the number of daily sunrises to preparing a cup of coffee, living in microgravity about 250 miles above the Earth is remarkably different from terrestrial life.
Scott Kelly, who recently wrapped up a 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station, is among the rare few who understands this well.
"I've been up here for a really long time and sometimes, when I think about it, I feel like I've lived my whole life up here," Kelly told CNN on Tuesday.
While the year in space wasn't Kelly's first (he's been on a total of four missions), it was his longest -- and longer than any other American astronaut. It will take time for him to re-acclimate, both physically and mentally, to life back on Earth.
Below, a look at five ways Kelly must readjust -- for better or worse -- after his extended stay in space.
In a recent Q&A on Tumblr, Kelly said that while he's never been a great sleeper, he gets less sleep in space and "definitely misses sleeping in a bed."
Unlike collapsing into your bed after a long day, sleep in microgravity means there is "no change in the level of relaxation or comfort you experience," Kelly told ABC News.
Space also impacted on Kelly's dreaming. "In the beginning, most of my dreams were Earth-based," he wrote. "Then, they became space-based. And now as I am getting ready to return home, I am dreaming of Earth again."
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