A former American astronaut whose year-long journey in space captivated people worldwide will now help the United Nations to promote space as a tool for achieving sustainable development.

Scott Kelly, who has retired from the US space agency, NASA, was on Sunday appointed United Nations Champion for Space by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).

The announcement was made in Dubai at the first High Level Forum on Space as a Driver for Socio-Economic Development organized by UNOOSA and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency.

Mr Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko spent a year in space beginning in March 2015 to learn how being in space affects the human body.

Runa A, who is in Dubai, asked Mr Kelly about his path to becoming an astronaut.

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