Home - Search - Browse - Alphabetic Index: 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9
A- B- C- D- E- F- G- H- I- J- K- L- M- N- O- P- Q- R- S- T- U- V- W- X- Y- Z
Kelly, Mark Edward
Kelly Mark
Kelly Mark
Credit: www.spacefacts.de
American test pilot astronaut 1996-2011. Twin brother of astronaut Scott Kelly. Grew up in West Orange, New Jersey. Flew 39 combat missions over Iraq.

Status: Inactive; Active 1996-2011. Born: 1964-02-21. Spaceflights: 4 . Total time in space: 54.09 days. Birth Place: Orange, New Jersey.

Official NASA Biography as of June 2016:Mark E. Kelly (CAPTAIN, USN)
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:  Mark Edward Kelly is the son of Richard and Patricia Kelly, two retired police officers.  He was born in Orange, New Jersey, on February 21, 1964, and raised in West Orange, New Jersey.  Kelly is married to U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.  Kelly's identical twin brother, Scott J. Kelly, is also an astronaut and served as commander of International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 26.  The Kelly brothers are the only siblings who have both traveled in space.

EDUCATION:  Kelly graduated from Mountain High School in 1982.  He received a B.S. degree in marine engineering and nautical science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, graduating with highest honors in 1986.  In 1994, he received an M.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

AWARDS:  Defense Superior Service Medal (with one bronze oak leaf cluster); Distinguished Flying Cross; Air Medal (with valor device and three bronze service stars); Navy Commendation Medal (with valor device and one bronze service star); Navy Achievement Medal; Southwest Asia Service Medal (with one bronze service star); Navy Expeditionary Medal; National Defense Service Medal (with one bronze service star); Navy Unit Commendation (with one bronze service star); Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (with one bronze service star); Overseas Service Ribbon; Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia); Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait); NASA Exceptional Service Medal; NASA Space Flight Medal (with three bronze service stars).

EXPERIENCE:  In December 1987, Kelly became a naval aviator and received initial training on the A-6E Intruder attack aircraft.  He was then assigned to VA-115 (Attack Squadron 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.  After receiving his master's degree, he attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School from June 1993 to June 1994.  He has logged more than 5,000 hours in more than 50 different aircraft and has over 375 carrier landings.

At this time, Kelly remains on active duty. He is on loan to NASA and holds the rank of Captain in the U.S. Navy.

On Tuesday, June 21, 2011, Kelly announced his retirement from the U.S. Navy, and NASA, effective October 1, 2011.  

SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIENCE:  Kelly's first trip into space was as pilot of STS-108.  After several delays, Endeavour lifted off on December 5, 2001, on the final shuttle mission of 2001.  STS-108 Endeavour visited the ISS, delivering over three tons of equipment, supplies, and a fresh crew to the orbiting outpost.  Kelly and Mission Specialist Linda Godwin used the shuttle's robotic arm to lift the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module from the shuttle payload bay and attach it to a berth on the station's Unity node.  Mission managers extended Endeavour's flight duration to 12 days to allow the crew to assist with additional maintenance tasks on the station, including work on a treadmill and replacing a failed compressor in one of the air conditioners in the Zvezda Service Module.  Kelly traveled over 4.8 million miles and orbited the earth 186 times over 11 days and 19+ hours.

In July 2006, Kelly served as pilot for STS-121 Discovery, the second €œReturn to Flight€ mission following the loss of Columbia in February 2003.  The main purposes of the mission were to test new safety and repair techniques introduced following the Columbia disaster as well as to deliver supplies, equipment, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Reiter from Germany to the ISS.  The transfer of Reiter to the ISS returned the station to a three crew member staffing level.  During the STS-121 mission to the ISS, the crew of Discovery continued to test new equipment and procedures for the inspection and repair of the thermal protection system that is designed to increase the safety of the shuttles.  It also delivered more supplies and cargo for future ISS expansion.  Kelly traveled over 5.28 million miles and orbited the Earth 202 times over 12 days and 18+ hours.

STS-124 Discovery was Kelly's first mission as commander.  Kelly and his crew delivered the pressurized module for Kibo to the ISS.  The module is the largest component of the Kibo laboratory and the station's largest habitable module.  Discovery also delivered Kibo's Remote Manipulator System.  Perhaps the most important part they delivered was a replacement part for the station's toilet.  The single toilet on the ISS had been malfunctioning for a week, creating a potentially serious problem for the crew.  Kelly traveled over 5.7 million miles and orbited the earth 218 times over 13 days and 18 hours.

STS-134 launched on May 16, 2011.  Kelly's wife, Gabrielle Giffords, traveled to Florida on her first trip since moving from Tucson to Houston in January after an attempted assassination.  Kelly was the commander of the mission, which was Space Shuttle Endeavour's last.  He and his crew delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the ISS.  AMS is a 15,000-lb cosmic particle detector that was installed on the outside of the space station.  Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter and antimatter.  Kelly traveled more than 6.5 million miles and orbited the earth 248 times over 15 days, 17 hours, and 38 minutes.

JULY 2011


NASA Official Biography

NAME: Mark E. Kelly (Lieutenant Commander, USN)
NASA Astronaut Candidate (Pilot)

PERSONAL DATA:
Born February 21, 1964 in Orange, New Jersey, but considers West Orange, New Jersey, to be his hometown. Married to the former Amelia Victoria Babis of Roscommon, Michigan. They have one child. He enjoys running, weightlifting, basketball, golf. His parents, Richard and Patricia Kelly, reside in Flagler Beach, Florida.

EDUCATION:
Graduated from Mountain High School, West Orange, New Jersey, in 1982; received a bachelor of science degree in marine engineering and nautical science (with highest honors) from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1986, and a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1994.

ORGANIZATIONS:
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association.

AWARDS:
Awarded four Air Medals (2 individual/2 strike flight) with Combat "V," Navy Commendation Medal with "V," Navy Achievement Medal, two Southwest Asia Service Medals, Navy Expeditionary Medal, two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, Overseas Service Ribbon, and various other unit awards.

EXPERIENCE:
Kelly received his commission from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in June 1986, and was designated a Naval Aviator in December 1987. He then reported to Attack Squadron 128 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Washington, for initial training in the A-6E Aircraft. Upon completion of this training, he was assigned to Attack Squadron 115 based in Atsugi, Japan. While assigned to Attack Squadron 115 he made two deployments to the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Midway. During his second deployment he flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. During this tour he was designated an Airwing Qualified Landing Signals Officer (LSO). Kelly was selected for the Naval Post Graduate School/Test Pilot School Cooperative Education Program in July 1991. He completed 15 months of graduate work at Monterey, California, before attending the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in June 1993. After graduating in June 1994, he worked as a project test pilot at the Carrier Suitability Department of the Strike Aircraft Test Squadron, Naval Air Warfare Center, Patuxent River, Maryland, flying the A-6E, EA-6B and F-18 aircraft. Kelly was assigned to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as an instructor pilot in the F-18, T-38 and T-2 aircraft when selected for the astronaut program.

He has logged over 2,000 flight hours in more than 40 different aircraft and has over 375 carrier landings.

NASA EXPERIENCE:
Selected by NASA in April 1996, Kelly reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996 to begin two years of training and evaluation. Successful completion of initial training will qualify him for various technical assignments leading to selection as a pilot on a Space Shuttle flight crew.

JANUARY 1997


More at: Kelly, Mark.

Family: Astronaut. Country: USA. Spacecraft: ISS. Flights: STS-108, STS-108 ISS EO-4, STS-119A, STS-121, STS-124, STS-134. Agency: USN. Bibliography: 12, 5602.

1964 February 21 - .
1983 December 5 - .
1999 December 20 - .
1999 December 26 - .
2001 November 15 - .
2001 November 21 - .
2001 November 28 - .
2001 December 5 - .
2001 December 5 - . 22:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
2001 December 6 - .
2001 December 6 - .
2001 December 7 - .
2001 December 7 - .
2001 December 8 - .
2001 December 8 - .
2001 December 9 - .
2001 December 10 - .
2001 December 11 - .
2001 December 12 - .
2001 December 12 - .
2001 December 13 - .
2001 December 13 - .
2001 December 14 - .
2001 December 14 - .
2001 December 15 - .
2001 December 15 - .
2001 December 16 - .
2001 December 17 - .
2001 December 17 - .
2001 December 17 - .
2004 January 15 - .
2006 July 4 - .
2006 July 4 - . 18:38 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
2006 July 5 - .
2006 July 5 - .
2006 July 6 - .
2006 July 6 - .
2006 July 7 - .
2006 July 8 - .
2006 July 8 - .
2006 July 9 - .
2006 July 9 - .
2006 July 10 - .
2006 July 10 - .
2006 July 11 - .
2006 July 11 - .
2006 July 12 - .
2006 July 13 - .
2006 July 14 - .
2006 July 14 - .
2006 July 15 - .
2006 July 15 - .
2006 July 16 - .
2006 July 16 - .
2006 July 17 - .
2006 July 17 - . 13:14 GMT - .
2008 May 27 - .
2008 May 30 - .
2008 May 31 - .
2008 May 31 - . 21:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
2008 June 2 - .
2008 June 4 - .
2008 June 5 - .
2008 June 6 - .
2008 June 7 - .
2008 June 8 - .
2008 June 9 - .
2008 June 10 - .
2008 June 14 - . 15:15 GMT - .
2011 May 16 - . 12:56 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.

Back to top of page
Home - Search - Browse - Alphabetic Index: 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9
A- B- C- D- E- F- G- H- I- J- K- L- M- N- O- P- Q- R- S- T- U- V- W- X- Y- Z
© 1997-2019 Mark Wade - Contact
© / Conditions for Use