Mark Kelly

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Mark Kelly bigraphy, stories - Astronaut, engineer

Mark Kelly : biography

February 21, 1964 –

Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is a retired American astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain. He is the husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, an author, and an advocate of gun control.

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.

His wife was the target of an attempted assassination in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011. After the shooting, in which six people were killed, both Kelly and Giffords were thrust into the media spotlight. His wife’s shooting led to a broad national conversation ranging from the duties of a husband to what is acceptable civil discourse. The couple wrote a book about their lives and their experiences, discussing the shooting and Giffords’s initial recovery.

Kelly’s identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, is also an astronaut and served as commander of International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 26. NASA Press Kit, October 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2011. The Kelly brothers are the only twins and only siblings to have both traveled in space.

Awards and decorations

number=1|type=oak|ribbon=US Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}} Defense Superior Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster)
number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=80}} Legion of Merit
number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon.svg|width=80}} Distinguished Flying Cross
number=3|type=award-star|other_device=v|ribbon=Air Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}} Air Medal (with valor device and three award stars)
number=1|type=award-star|other_device=v|ribbon=Navy and Marine Corps Commendation ribbon.svg|width=80}} Navy Commendation Medal (with valor device and service star)
number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Navy and Marine Corps Achievement ribbon.svg|width=80}} Navy Achievement Medal
number=1|type=award-star|ribbon=Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|width=80}} Navy Unit Commendation (with award star)
number=0|type=oak|ribbon=USA – NASA Excep Rib.png|width=80}} NASA Exceptional Service Medal
number=3|type=award-star|ribbon=SpaceFltRib.gif|width=80}} NASA Space Flight Medal (with three award stars)
number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Navy Expeditionary ribbon.svg|width=80}} Navy Expeditionary Medal
number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Southwest Asia Service ribbon.svg|width=80}} Southwest Asia Service Medal (with service star)
number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}} National Defense Service Medal (with service star)
number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.svg|width=80}} Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (with service star)
number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon.svg|width=80}} Overseas Service Ribbon
number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Us sa-kwlib rib.png|width=80}} Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Us kw-kwlib rib.png|width=80}} Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Author

In 2011 he coauthored Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience, with his wife. The book provides biographical information on the couple and describes in detail the assassination attempt on Gabby and her initial recovery. Written in Kelly’s voice, it includes a short note by Giffords at the end. Kelly’s second book, Mousetronaut, is a children’s book that was released in 2012. It was a New York Times number one bestseller.