National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058
Biographical Data

Mark E. Kelly (Captain, USN)
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born February 21, 1964 in Orange, New Jersey, but considers West Orange, New Jersey, to be his hometown.  Married to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Tucson, Arizona.  They have two children.  He enjoys cycling, weight-lifting and 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 bachelor of science degrees in marine engineering and marine transportation (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, Fellow of the National Committee on U.S. China Relations.

AWARDS: Awarded Defense Superior Service Medal (2 awards), four Air Medals (2 individual/2 strike flight) with Combat “V,” 2 Navy Commendation Medals (one 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.  While assigned to Attack Squadron 115 in Atsugi, Japan he made two deployments to the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Midway flying the A-6E Intruder All-Weather Attack Aircraft.  During his second deployment he flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm.  He completed 15 months of graduate work in 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, Patuxent River, Maryland, flying the A-6E, EA-6B and F-18 aircraft.  Kelly was an instructor pilot at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School when selected for the astronaut program.

He has logged over 5,000 flight hours in more than 50 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.  A veteran of three space flights, he served as pilot on STS-108 in 2001 and STS-121 in 2006, and was the Discovery’s Commander on STS-124 in 2008, and has logged 38 days in space.  In 2006 he received his first U.S. Patent for an advanced oxygen mask for combat aircraft.  Kelly is currently assigned to command the crew of STS-134 to the International Space Station.  The mission will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle physics detector designed to examine fundamental issues about matter and the origin and structure of the universe.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE:  STS-108 Endeavour (December 5-17, 2001), was the 12th shuttle flight to visit the International Space Station.  Endeavour’s crew delivered the Expedition-4 crew and returned the Expedition-3 crew, unloaded over 3 tons of equipment and supplies from the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, and performed one space walk to wrap thermal blankets around ISS Solar Array Gimbals.  STS-108 traveled 4.8 million miles orbiting the earth 185 times in 11 days, 19 hours and 36 minutes.

STS-121 (July 4-17, 2006), was a return-to-flight test mission and assembly flight to the International Space Station.  During the 13-day flight the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery tested new equipment and procedures that increase the safety of space shuttles, repaired a rail car on the International Space Station and produced never-before-seen, high-resolution images of the Shuttle during and after its July 4th launch.  The crew also performed maintenance on the space station and delivered and transferred more than 28,000 pounds of supplies and equipment, and a new Expedition 13 crew member to the station.  The mission was accomplished in 12 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds.

STS-124 Discovery (May 31 to June 14, 2008) was the 123rd Space Shuttle flight, and the 26th Shuttle flight to the International Space Station.  STS-124 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and docked with the International Space Station on June 2 to deliver the Japanese Experiment Module-Pressurized Module (JEM-PM) and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System.  STS-124 Shuttle astronauts delivered the 37-foot (11-meter) Kibo lab, added its rooftop storage room and performed three spacewalks to maintain the station and to prime the new Japanese module's robotic arm for work during nine days docked at the orbiting laboratory.  STS-124 also delivered a new station crew member, Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff.  He replaced Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who returned to Earth with the STS-124 crew.  The STS-124 mission was completed in 218 orbits traveling 5,735.643 miles in 13 days, 18 hours, 13 minutes and 7 seconds.

AUGUST 2009