American astronaut Scott Kelly's mission to space that enthralled the world, captivating viewers for nearly a year, came to an end at 11:26 p.m. EST (10:26 a.m. March 2 Kazakhstan time).

That's when Kelly and his Russian cosmonaut partner Mikhail Kornienko completed their “Year in Space” mission aboard the International Space Station with a safe landing on Earth. The spaceflight pioneers, along with Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, who was aboard the ISS for the past six months, touched down in a remote area of Kazakhstan.

(VIDEO: Kelly's Return to Earth)

U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly shows a victory sign after landing near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko returned to Earth on March 2 (local time) after spending almost a year in space in a ground-breaking experiment possibly foreshadowing a manned mission to Mars. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

The groundbreaking stint in space was an experiment to test the effects of sustained spaceflight on the human body, which the scientists performed while carrying out hundreds of other research experiments and working on cutting-edge technologies, according to NASA. In the coming months and years, Kelly's biomarkers will be compared to his twin's, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, in order to closely observe any changes from the journey.

Scott Kelly told CNN from the space station recently that physically, he's been feeling good while orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth's surface. But the mission has had an emotional toll.

"The hardest part is being isolated from people on the ground who are important to you," he said. He added that he hopes his work aboard theISS will allow more astronauts to make sustained spaceflights to farther destinations, a necessity for sending a manned mission to Mars.

After Kelly's return, President Barack Obama said on Twitter that the Year in Space mission “is vital to the future of American space travel.”

It has also been transformative to Earth-bound observers' appreciation of our planet, due to the 1,000 stunning photos Kelly posted on Twitter of Earth from above. There are abstract visions of sand, ice and water, which Kelly dubbed “Earth Art,” or “Colors of Earth.” There are shots of tropical storms, winter storms and hurricanes; hundreds of sunrises and sunsets, dozens of aurora and many images of the moon.

All in all, it's an impressive peak at life in orbit and of Earth's beauty. See some of the highlightsin the slideshow above.

Below, further glimpses of our galaxy.

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The ESO 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla observatory in Chile, during observations. (ESO/S. Brunier)