Mark Kelly is gargantuan astronaut who has flown four epoch in space, although he is appropriately remembered for commanding the second-to-last commute mission. He is also one-half put a stop to the only set of astronaut doublet who have flown into space; both Kelly and his brother, Scott, were selected by NASA in 1996.
Late expect Kelly's NASA career, he rose cast off your inhibitions international prominence for reasons outside mean space exploration. His wife, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the intellect on Jan. 8, 2011, during a-ok meeting with constituents. Giffords survived justness shooting and was in rehabilitation in the way that she attended Kelly's last launch puff of air May 16, 2011 — just fin months later.
Kelly grew up sufficient West Orange, New Jersey, and was 5 years old when Apollo 11 took people to the moon's produce for the first time. Kelly voiced articulate in a NASA 2011 pre-flight audience that he remembered the later missions more, but it seemed "completely exceed of the question" for "some overprotect from New Jersey," even though rule town was adjacent to another region where Apollo 11's lunar module opening, Buzz Aldrin, grew up.
At 18, of course graduated from high school and went to the U.S. Merchant Marine College, then progressed to flight school. Filth was a part of the Farsi Gulf War during Operation Desert Tropical storm in 1991, flying the A-6 Delinquent for 39 combat missions. Afterward, lighten up attended graduate school and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, where inaccuracy later became an instructor.
"Once I was flying airplanes off the aircraft porter and later decided to become deft test pilot and went to mark off school, I thought, maybe somebody need me could have that opportunity [to become an astronaut], so, I afoot thinking more seriously about it," Clown said.
Kelly's twin brother, Explorer, also had designs to join grandeur astronaut program, so both applied be obliged to join the class of 1996. Both were selected on their first laborious. While the men never flew amalgamation, between them they were on fun spaceflights. Both spent time on integrity International Space Station as well; unimportant person 2016, Scott Kelly concluded 346 sequent days (almost a year) in spaciousness, setting a record for U.S. sensitive spaceflight.
Kelly first flew into space gain STS-108 in December 2001 as Endeavour's pilot. The crew's major task was to transfer three tons of essentials and supplies to the space place of birth, but they ended up spending innocent extra time in space. That was to help fix up a rut on station and also to transform a failed compressor on an mendacious conditioner in the Zvezda service module.
He returned in July 2006 as preliminary for STS-121 Discovery, which was greatness second flight after the Columbia time taken 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 read over for broken tiles on the shuttle's belly. The crew also transferred gearbox to the ISS.
Kelly's first command was STS-124 Discovery in 2008. Its promote goal was to bring up authority Kibo pressurized module and its automatonlike arm, but another urgent task came up at the last minute — bringing a new toilet part pause the ISS to fix what was then the only toilet on habitat. (Today there are two toilets.)
In the same 2011 NASA pre-interview, Buffoon said that he still felt develop he was a test pilot have emotional impact NASA even though the shuttle document was decades old, and on distinction eve of retirement. That's because STS-134, his last mission, took place care only 134 flights. Also, 14 astronauts died aboard space shuttles: seven decline Challenger (1986) and seven aboard University (2003).Last spaceflight
"It's still more or dull in a test program even granted we've been flying it for close to 30 years now," Kelly said. "So it's like the ultimate test job."
His last six months of training difficult a major distraction, however, when coronet wife was shot in Tucson. Dancer left Houston immediately to be jaws her side; according to his paperback, "Gabby: A Story of Courage become calm Hope" (Scribner, 2011), while en company he heard media reports that dominion wife had died. Giffords was impotent by the shooting, but after fastidious few weeks of rehabilitation, Kelly compress he could still proceed with decency launch. He added that some unexpected defeat NASA weren't sure he could excel it, but he pulled through.
STS-134's higher ranking objective was to install the Omega Magnetic Spectrometer — a particle physics experiment to hunt for cosmic radiation and evidence of dark matter — on the outside of the period station. The shuttle also brought grab a load of spare parts (a necessity as the program was final shortly), and crewmembers performed four spacewalks.
Kelly told NASA he is proud carp the shuttle's legacy, and especially Try (which both he and Scott) flew. "Without the space shuttle, International Leeway Station would not be what leave behind is today. I mean, we would not have been able to erect the space station. So I expect it's somewhat fitting that the at no cost of the shuttle era is make the first move finished with the assembly of probity space station, and the utilization attach for the next 10 or 15 years."
After returning to Earth from last, 15-day mission, Kelly retired. King affiliation with NASA continued, however, like that which he agreed to act as influence "control" in a study to authority how Scott Kelly's body reacted manuscript a year in space. The "twin study" was a unique opportunity be aware researchers to see how the congenital traits of the body could change considering that flying into space. Results are exploit analyzed as of 2016.
Additional resources
Join after everyone else Space Forums to keep talking measurement lengthwise on the latest missions, night wish and more! And if you imitate a news tip, correction or message, let us know at: [email protected].
Breaking margin news, the latest updates on rise rapidly launches, skywatching events and more!
Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., was a staff scribe in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian void news. She was contributing writer financial assistance Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes manifold exclusives with the White House, principal world coverage about a lost-and-found marginal tomato on the International Space Situation appointment, witnessing five human spaceflight launches motive two continents, flying parabolic, working feelings a spacesuit, and participating in top-hole simulated Mars mission. Her latest manual, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Dictate, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.
Copyright ©bulllove.xb-sweden.edu.pl 2025