Mark Kelly
American astronaut, engineer, and U.S. Navy Captain
Mark Kelly, husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, is a retired astronaut and US Navy Captain with 6,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft, 375 aircraft carrier landings, 39 combat missions and more than 50 days in space.
As a Naval Aviator, Kelly flew combat missions during the Gulf War. He received initial training on the A-6E Intruder attack aircraft. He was then assigned to Attack Squadron 115 (VA-115) in Atsugi, Japan, and made two deployments to the Persian Gulf on the aircraft carrier USS Midway, flying 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. Kelly has won many awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and flew his first of four missions in 2001 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, the same space shuttle that he commanded on its final flight in May 2011. He is one of only two individuals who has visited the International Space Station on four different occasions.
Kelly was thrust into the national spotlight in January 2011 after his wife, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in an assassination attempt in Arizona.
He spoke at The Common Good in 2013: Astronaut Mark Kelly “Reducing Gun Violence Responsibly”.
Twitter: @ShuttleCDRKelly
