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Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American astronaut, engineer, U.S. Navy captain, and political candidate from Arizona. He is the husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and is an author, political activist, and aerospace executive and consultant.
A naval aviator, Kelly flew combat missions during the Gulf War. He was selected to become a NASA Space Shuttle pilot in 1996 and flew his first mission in 2001 as pilot of STS-108. He piloted STS-121 in 2006 and commanded STS-124 in 2008 and STS-134 in 2011. STS-134 was his final mission and the final mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour.[2]
His wife was shot in an attempted assassination in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011, suffering serious injury to her brain. After the shooting, in which six people were killed, both Kelly and Giffords were thrust into the media spotlight.[3] His wife's shooting led to a broad national conversation ranging from the duties of a husband to what is acceptable civil discourse.[4]
Kelly's identical twin, Scott Kelly, is also an astronaut. The Kelly brothers are the only known siblings to have both traveled in space.[5] In 2015, Scott Kelly began a mission spending a year in space on the International Space Station. He returned to Earth on March 1, 2016, after 340 days in space. During and after Scott's year-long mission, the brothers were studied to find physical differences caused by living in space versus a baseline on Earth.[6]
On February 12, 2019, Kelly launched his campaign for the 2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona, running as a Democrat. He hopes to win the Senate seat currently held by another combat veteran, Republican Martha McSally.[7]
A naval aviator, Kelly flew combat missions during the Gulf War. He was selected to become a NASA Space Shuttle pilot in 1996 and flew his first mission in 2001 as pilot of STS-108. He piloted STS-121 in 2006 and commanded STS-124 in 2008 and STS-134 in 2011. STS-134 was his final mission and the final mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour.[2]
His wife was shot in an attempted assassination in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011, suffering serious injury to her brain. After the shooting, in which six people were killed, both Kelly and Giffords were thrust into the media spotlight.[3] His wife's shooting led to a broad national conversation ranging from the duties of a husband to what is acceptable civil discourse.[4]
Kelly's identical twin, Scott Kelly, is also an astronaut. The Kelly brothers are the only known siblings to have both traveled in space.[5] In 2015, Scott Kelly began a mission spending a year in space on the International Space Station. He returned to Earth on March 1, 2016, after 340 days in space. During and after Scott's year-long mission, the brothers were studied to find physical differences caused by living in space versus a baseline on Earth.[6]
On February 12, 2019, Kelly launched his campaign for the 2020 United States Senate special election in Arizona, running as a Democrat. He hopes to win the Senate seat currently held by another combat veteran, Republican Martha McSally.[7]
Mark Kelly - Wikipedia
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President Obama & NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly
The White House
Thank you, my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that February 21 is the anniversary of the birth of retired American astronaut, engineer and U.S. Navy Captain Mark Edward Kelly who is the husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and is an author, political activist, and aerospace executive and consultant.
Mark Edward Kelly is a 1986 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at Kings Point, New York.
Retired NASA astronauts Mark Edward Kelly and Scott Kelly are twins.
Retired NASA astronauts Mark Edward Kelly and Scott Kelly are twins and they both are 1986 graduated of USMMA.
Happy 55th birthday Mark Edward Kelly with many happy returns.
Images:
1. 2008 Astronaut Mark Kelly takes a moment for a photo near the commander's station on the forward flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-124 mission
2. Identical twins Scott (left) and Mark Kelly pose for a photo at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on March 26, 2015, one day before Scott launched on a yearlong mission to the International Space Station.
3. 2017 Astronauts and brothers Scott (left) and Mark Kelly are interviewed before their missions. Credit - NASA TV
President Obama & NASA Astronauts Scott Kelly and Mark Kelly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjr4RqMGCr8
Background from
"Mark Kelly is an astronaut who has flown four times in space, although he is best remembered for commanding the second-to-last shuttle mission. He is also one-half of the only set of astronaut twins who have flown into space; both Kelly and his brother, Scott, were selected by NASA in 1996.
Late in Kelly's NASA career, he rose to international prominence for reasons outside of space exploration. His wife, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head on Jan. 8, 2011, during a meeting with constituents. Giffords survived the shooting and was in rehabilitation when she attended Kelly's last launch on May 16, 2011 — just five months later.
Early life
Kelly grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, and was 5 years old when Apollo 11 took people to the moon's surface for the first time. Kelly said in a NASA 2011 pre-flight interview that he remembered the later missions more, but it seemed "completely out of the question" for "some kid from New Jersey," even though his town was adjacent to another town where Apollo 11's lunar module pilot, Buzz Aldrin, grew up.
At 18, he graduated from high school and went to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, then progressed to flight school. He was a part of the Persian Gulf War during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, flying the A-6 Intruder for 39 combat missions. Afterward, he attended graduate school and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, where he later became an instructor.
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"Once I was flying airplanes off the aircraft carrier and later decided to become a test pilot and went to graduate school, I thought, maybe somebody like me could have that opportunity [to become an astronaut], so, I started thinking more seriously about it," Kelly said.
Astronaut Mark Kelly takes a moment for a photo near the commander's station on the forward flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-124 mission.
Astronaut Mark Kelly takes a moment for a photo near the commander's station on the forward flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-124 mission.(Image: © NASA)
Early flight experience
Kelly's twin brother, Scott, also had designs to join the astronaut program, so both applied to join the class of 1996. Both were selected on their first try. While the men never flew together, between them they were on eight spaceflights. Both spent time on the International Space Station as well; in 2016, Scott Kelly concluded 346 consecutive days (almost a year) in space, setting a record for U.S. human spaceflight.
Kelly first flew into space on STS-108 in December 2001 as Endeavour's pilot. The crew's major task was to transfer three tons of equipment and supplies to the space station, but they ended up spending some extra time in space. That was to help fix up a treadmill on station and also to replace a failed compressor on an air conditioner in the Zvezda service module.
He returned in July 2006 as pilot for STS-121 Discovery, which was the second flight after the Columbia space shuttle was lost in 2003. These "return to flight" missions were shakedowns to determine whether the shuttle was functioning correctly with new hardware modifications, such as a camera to scan for broken tiles on the shuttle's belly. The crew also transferred supplies to the ISS.
Kelly's first command was STS-124 Discovery in 2008. Its main goal was to bring up the Kibo pressurized module and its robotic arm, but another urgent task came up at the last minute — bringing a new toilet part to the ISS to fix what was then the only toilet on station. (Today there are two toilets.)
Identical twins Scott (left) and Mark Kelly pose for a photo at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on March 26, 2015, one day before Scott launched on a yearlong mission to the International Space Station.
Identical twins Scott (left) and Mark Kelly pose for a photo at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on March 26, 2015, one day before Scott launched on a yearlong mission to the International Space Station.(Image: © NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Last spaceflight
In the same 2011 NASA pre-interview, Kelly said that he still felt like he was a test pilot at NASA even though the shuttle program was decades old, and on the eve of retirement. That's because STS-134, his last mission, took place after only 134 flights. Also, 14 astronauts died aboard space shuttles: seven on Challenger (1986) and seven aboard Columbia (2003).Last spaceflight
"It's still more or less in a test program even though we've been flying it for nearly 30 years now," Kelly said. "So it's like the ultimate test job."
His last six months of training had a major distraction, however, when his wife was shot in Tucson. Kelly left Houston immediately to be at her side; according to his book, "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope" (Scribner, 2011), while en route he heard media reports that his wife had died. Giffords was disabled by the shooting, but after a few weeks of rehabilitation, Kelly determined he could still proceed with the launch. He added that some at NASA weren't sure he could do it, but he pulled through.
STS-134's major objective was to install the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer — a particle physics experiment to hunt for cosmic rays and evidence of dark matter — on the outside of the space station. The shuttle also brought up a load of spare parts (a necessity as the program was concluding shortly), and crewmembers performed four spacewalks.
Kelly told NASA he is proud of the shuttle's legacy, and especially Endeavour (which both he and Scott) flew. "Without the space shuttle, International Space Station would not be what it is today. I mean, we would not have been able to build the space station. So I think it's somewhat fitting that the end of the shuttle era is being finished with the assembly of the space station, and the utilization part for the next 10 or 15 years."
After returning to Earth from his last, 15-day mission, Kelly retired. His affiliation with NASA continued, however, when he agreed to act as the "control" in a study to see how Scott Kelly's body reacted to a year in space. The "twin study" was a unique opportunity for researchers to see how the genetics of the body could change when flying into space. Results are being analyzed as of 2016."
FYI Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown 1stSgt Eugene Harless CW5 John M. MSG Andrew White SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4"SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SGT (Join to see) SGT Robert George SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SP5 Robert Ruck SPC Margaret Higgins Maj Marty Hogan SSgt Brian Brakke Sgt Arthur Caesar
Mark Edward Kelly is a 1986 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at Kings Point, New York.
Retired NASA astronauts Mark Edward Kelly and Scott Kelly are twins.
Retired NASA astronauts Mark Edward Kelly and Scott Kelly are twins and they both are 1986 graduated of USMMA.
Happy 55th birthday Mark Edward Kelly with many happy returns.
Images:
1. 2008 Astronaut Mark Kelly takes a moment for a photo near the commander's station on the forward flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-124 mission
2. Identical twins Scott (left) and Mark Kelly pose for a photo at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on March 26, 2015, one day before Scott launched on a yearlong mission to the International Space Station.
3. 2017 Astronauts and brothers Scott (left) and Mark Kelly are interviewed before their missions. Credit - NASA TV
President Obama & NASA Astronauts Scott Kelly and Mark Kelly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjr4RqMGCr8
Background from
"Mark Kelly is an astronaut who has flown four times in space, although he is best remembered for commanding the second-to-last shuttle mission. He is also one-half of the only set of astronaut twins who have flown into space; both Kelly and his brother, Scott, were selected by NASA in 1996.
Late in Kelly's NASA career, he rose to international prominence for reasons outside of space exploration. His wife, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head on Jan. 8, 2011, during a meeting with constituents. Giffords survived the shooting and was in rehabilitation when she attended Kelly's last launch on May 16, 2011 — just five months later.
Early life
Kelly grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, and was 5 years old when Apollo 11 took people to the moon's surface for the first time. Kelly said in a NASA 2011 pre-flight interview that he remembered the later missions more, but it seemed "completely out of the question" for "some kid from New Jersey," even though his town was adjacent to another town where Apollo 11's lunar module pilot, Buzz Aldrin, grew up.
At 18, he graduated from high school and went to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, then progressed to flight school. He was a part of the Persian Gulf War during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, flying the A-6 Intruder for 39 combat missions. Afterward, he attended graduate school and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, where he later became an instructor.
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"Once I was flying airplanes off the aircraft carrier and later decided to become a test pilot and went to graduate school, I thought, maybe somebody like me could have that opportunity [to become an astronaut], so, I started thinking more seriously about it," Kelly said.
Astronaut Mark Kelly takes a moment for a photo near the commander's station on the forward flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-124 mission.
Astronaut Mark Kelly takes a moment for a photo near the commander's station on the forward flight deck of Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-124 mission.(Image: © NASA)
Early flight experience
Kelly's twin brother, Scott, also had designs to join the astronaut program, so both applied to join the class of 1996. Both were selected on their first try. While the men never flew together, between them they were on eight spaceflights. Both spent time on the International Space Station as well; in 2016, Scott Kelly concluded 346 consecutive days (almost a year) in space, setting a record for U.S. human spaceflight.
Kelly first flew into space on STS-108 in December 2001 as Endeavour's pilot. The crew's major task was to transfer three tons of equipment and supplies to the space station, but they ended up spending some extra time in space. That was to help fix up a treadmill on station and also to replace a failed compressor on an air conditioner in the Zvezda service module.
He returned in July 2006 as pilot for STS-121 Discovery, which was the second flight after the Columbia space shuttle was lost in 2003. These "return to flight" missions were shakedowns to determine whether the shuttle was functioning correctly with new hardware modifications, such as a camera to scan for broken tiles on the shuttle's belly. The crew also transferred supplies to the ISS.
Kelly's first command was STS-124 Discovery in 2008. Its main goal was to bring up the Kibo pressurized module and its robotic arm, but another urgent task came up at the last minute — bringing a new toilet part to the ISS to fix what was then the only toilet on station. (Today there are two toilets.)
Identical twins Scott (left) and Mark Kelly pose for a photo at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on March 26, 2015, one day before Scott launched on a yearlong mission to the International Space Station.
Identical twins Scott (left) and Mark Kelly pose for a photo at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on March 26, 2015, one day before Scott launched on a yearlong mission to the International Space Station.(Image: © NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Last spaceflight
In the same 2011 NASA pre-interview, Kelly said that he still felt like he was a test pilot at NASA even though the shuttle program was decades old, and on the eve of retirement. That's because STS-134, his last mission, took place after only 134 flights. Also, 14 astronauts died aboard space shuttles: seven on Challenger (1986) and seven aboard Columbia (2003).Last spaceflight
"It's still more or less in a test program even though we've been flying it for nearly 30 years now," Kelly said. "So it's like the ultimate test job."
His last six months of training had a major distraction, however, when his wife was shot in Tucson. Kelly left Houston immediately to be at her side; according to his book, "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope" (Scribner, 2011), while en route he heard media reports that his wife had died. Giffords was disabled by the shooting, but after a few weeks of rehabilitation, Kelly determined he could still proceed with the launch. He added that some at NASA weren't sure he could do it, but he pulled through.
STS-134's major objective was to install the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer — a particle physics experiment to hunt for cosmic rays and evidence of dark matter — on the outside of the space station. The shuttle also brought up a load of spare parts (a necessity as the program was concluding shortly), and crewmembers performed four spacewalks.
Kelly told NASA he is proud of the shuttle's legacy, and especially Endeavour (which both he and Scott) flew. "Without the space shuttle, International Space Station would not be what it is today. I mean, we would not have been able to build the space station. So I think it's somewhat fitting that the end of the shuttle era is being finished with the assembly of the space station, and the utilization part for the next 10 or 15 years."
After returning to Earth from his last, 15-day mission, Kelly retired. His affiliation with NASA continued, however, when he agreed to act as the "control" in a study to see how Scott Kelly's body reacted to a year in space. The "twin study" was a unique opportunity for researchers to see how the genetics of the body could change when flying into space. Results are being analyzed as of 2016."
FYI Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown 1stSgt Eugene Harless CW5 John M. MSG Andrew White SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4"SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SGT (Join to see) SGT Robert George SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SP5 Robert Ruck SPC Margaret Higgins Maj Marty Hogan SSgt Brian Brakke Sgt Arthur Caesar
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SPC Margaret Higgins
Anthony Pandolfino - Very nice, Anthony! May GOD rest your brother's soul. And may GOD bless you, Anthony: Heart, Mind, Body and Soul. With My Love for You.
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