The emotional moment astronaut Scott Kelly landed on Earth after a year in space

After a record-breaking 340 days in space, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly landed back on Earth Wednesday morning local time in Kazakhstan. 

Both Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko were on the year-long mission, which revealed more about how the body changes during a long-duration spaceflight. The astronauts sped to back to Earth in a Russian-made Soyuz capsule — a trip that took about 3.5 hours from the International Space Station.

"It felt like I’d been up there my whole life."

The Soyuz capsule landed at 11:26 p.m. ET after a wild ride that brought them through the atmosphere. At one point during the flight, the trio of crewmembers likely pulled 3 to 4 Gs -- the equivalent of three to four times the force of Earth's gravity.

For Kelly and Kornienko, this landing was the first time they felt the force of Earth's gravity in 340 days.

Russia's Soyuz  capsule carrying NASA's Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergei Volkov lands in a remote area outside the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on March 2, 2016, local time. Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Though Kelly said he "could go another 100 days," he returns Houston on Wednesday night. What are his plans after that?

"I'm going to go home and jump in my pool." 

A search and rescue team works at the site of landing of the Soyuz TMA-18M space capsule near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on March 2, 2016. Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images

Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko is seen inside the Soyuz  after landing. Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Ground personnel help International Space Station (ISS) crew member Scott Kelly of the U.S. to get out of the Soyuz TMA-18M space capsule after landing near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on March 2, 2016. Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Once back on the ground, Volkov, Kelly and Kornienko were taken into a medical tent where they were put through their paces. Researchers particularly wanted to see how Kelly and Kornienko's agility measured up after a year in space.

Future Mars explorers will need to be able to bounce back rather quickly after a long journey to the surface of the red planet. Therefore learning more about how the human body adjusts to gravity after a long time in weightlessness is key to interplanetary exploration.

A search and rescue team works at the site of landing of the Soyuz TMA-18M space capsule near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on March 2, 2016. Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

"A year is a long time, you know," Kelly said after landing. 

"It felt like I’d been up there my whole life after about the first six months, which is like the normal increment."

Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly rests in a chair outside of the Soyuz  just minutes after landing. Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images

Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, left, Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos, center, and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA, rest in a chairs outside of the Soyuz. Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images

Members of NASA support team help Kelly get off a helicopter upon arrival from the landing site at the airport of the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on March 2, 2016. Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images