Mark Kelly - 10 things to know with detail
- 1. Mark Kelly is a retired American astronaut and former U.S. Navy captain. He is also a politician, currently serving as the junior United States Senator from Arizona.
- 2. Kelly was born on February 21, 1964 in Orange, New Jersey. He was raised in West Orange, New Jersey and graduated from Mountain High School in 1982.
- 3. Kelly attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in marine engineering and nautical science in 1986. He later earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.
- 4. Kelly joined the U.S. Navy in 1987 and became a naval aviator, flying combat missions during the Gulf War. He was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1996.
- 5. Kelly made four spaceflights as a NASA astronaut, including two on the Space Shuttle and two on the International Space Station. He logged over 54 days in space and completed multiple spacewalks.
- 6. In 2011, Kelly's wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was shot during a mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona. Kelly retired from NASA to care for his wife and became a vocal advocate for gun control.
- 7. In 2013, Kelly and Giffords co-founded the political action committee Americans for Responsible Solutions, which advocates for gun control legislation.
- 8. In 2020, Kelly ran for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in Arizona and defeated Republican incumbent Martha McSally. He was sworn in as Senator on December 2, 2020.
- 9. Kelly serves on several Senate committees, including the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. He is also a member of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
- 10. Kelly is known for his bipartisan approach to governance and his focus on issues such as healthcare, climate change, and veterans' rights. He is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party and a potential contender for higher office in the future.