Mark Kelly

U.S. Senator, Retired NASA Astronaut, Retired U.S. Navy Combat Pilot

American Orange, New Jersey, United States

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Quick Info

ProfessionU.S. Senator, Retired NASA Astronaut, Retired U.S. Navy Combat Pilot
NationalityAmerican
Date of Birth21/02/1964
Age62 years
BirthplaceOrange, New Jersey, United States

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Bio/Wiki

SummaryMark Edward Kelly is an American politician and retired astronaut and naval officer serving as the senior United States Senator from Arizona since 2020. He flew four Space Shuttle missions and logged over 50 days in space, traveling more than 20 million miles.

Educational Qualification(s)

Bachelor's DegreeMarine Engineering and Nautical Science, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (1986)
Master's DegreeAeronautical Engineering, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School (1994)
Military TrainingU.S. Navy Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Maryland (1993-1994)

Personal Life

ResidenceTucson, Arizona

Relationships & More

SpouseGabrielle Giffords (former U.S. Congresswoman from Arizona)

Family

Identical Twin BrotherScott Kelly (NASA Astronaut)
ParentsTwo police officers

Career

Military Service
BranchU.S. Navy
RankCaptain (Retired)
Service Period1987-2011
Combat Missions39 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm (1991)
DeploymentsMultiple deployments on USS Midway aircraft carrier
Flight HoursOver 5,000 hours in more than 50 different aircraft
Carrier LandingsOver 375 carrier landings
NASA Career
Selection1996 (same class as twin brother Scott)
Space Missions
  • STS-108 (Pilot, December 2001) - Endeavour
  • STS-121 (Pilot, July 2006) - Discovery
  • STS-124 (Commander, 2008) - Discovery
  • STS-134 (Commander, 2011) - Endeavour (final mission)
Space Experience4 spaceflights, over 50 days in space, over 20 million miles traveled
RetirementOctober 2011
Political Career
U.S. Senate2020-present (Arizona)
ElectionWon special election in 2020, defeating Republican Martha McSally; reelected to full term in 2022
Notable AchievementFirst Democrat to win Arizona Senate seat since 1962
Advocacy
OrganizationAmericans for Responsible Solutions (founded 2013 with wife Gabby Giffords, later merged into Giffords organization)
FocusGun control measures including universal background checks

Social Media

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/SenMarkKelly
Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/senmarkkelly/
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/senmarkkelly

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Raised in West Orange, New Jersey
2. Became a naval aviator in December 1987
3. Wife Gabby Giffords was shot and nearly killed in an assassination attempt in January 2011; Kelly decided to return to Space Shuttle training after her recovery
4. Commanded the final mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134) in 2011
5. Son of two police officers, which influenced his early commitment to public service
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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