Scott Kelly (astronaut)
Scott Joseph Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American engineer, retired astronaut, and naval aviator. A veteran of four space flights, Kelly commanded the International Space Station (ISS) on Expeditions 26, 45, and 46.
Scott Kelly
2
Mark Kelly (twin brother)
520d[1]
3
18h 20m
April 1, 2016[2]
Kelly's first spaceflight was as pilot of Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-103 in December 1999. This was the third servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, and lasted for just under eight days.[3] Kelly's second spaceflight was as mission commander of STS-118, a 12-day Space Shuttle mission to the ISS in August 2007.[4] Kelly's third spaceflight was as a crewmember on Expedition 25/26 on the ISS. He arrived at the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-01M on October 9, 2010, and served as a flight engineer until he took over command of the station on November 25, 2010, at the start of Expedition 26.[5][6][7] Expedition 26 ended on March 16, 2011, with the departure of Soyuz TMA-01M.[8]
In November 2012, Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko were selected for a year-long mission to the ISS.[9][10] Their year in space began with the launch of Soyuz TMA-16M on March 27, 2015, and they remained on the station for Expeditions 43, 44, 45, and 46. The mission ended on March 1, 2016, with the departure of Soyuz TMA-18M from the station.[11][12]
Kelly retired from NASA on April 1, 2016.[13] His identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, is also a retired astronaut, and the junior U.S. senator from Arizona.[14][15]
Early life and education[edit]
Scott Kelly was born, along with his identical twin brother Mark, on February 21, 1964, in Orange, New Jersey, to Patricia (McAvoy) and Richard Kelly.[16] Kelly's family lived in West Orange, where his parents worked as police officers.[17] Kelly and his brother graduated from West Orange Mountain High School (New Jersey) in 1982. While in high school, Kelly worked as an emergency medical technician in Orange and Jersey City, New Jersey.[18]: 32–41 [11]
After graduating from high school, Kelly enrolled at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During his first year, Kelly read The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, and was inspired to pursue a career in naval aviation.[18]: 40–41 After his first year, Kelly transferred to State University of New York Maritime College, where he received a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (Navy ROTC) scholarship. During the summer after his first year, Kelly sailed aboard SUNY Maritime's training ship, Empire State V, and stopped in Mallorca, Hamburg, and London. After his second year, Kelly sailed again on Empire State V.[18]: 55–66 He served as the student battalion commander for his school's Navy ROTC detachment, and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical engineering in 1987.[18]: 107–110 Kelly later earned a Master of Science degree in aviations systems from the University of Tennessee.[19]
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After graduation, Kelly was commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy. He completed his initial flight school at NAS Pensacola, where he flew the T-34 Mentor propeller driven trainer plane, after which he was selected to fly jets.[18]: 110–120 In 1988, he moved to Beeville, Texas, for jet training Naval Air Station Chase Field, where he trained on the T-2 Buckeye and the A-4 Skyhawk. He graduated as a naval aviator in 1989, and was assigned to fly the F-14 Tomcat.[18]: 152–157 He reported to VF-101 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, for initial F-14 training. Upon completion of this training in September 1990, he was assigned to VF-143, and deployed to the North Atlantic and Persian Gulf aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.[18]: 157–164
In January 1993, Kelly was selected to attend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. His classmates included his brother, Mark, and other future astronauts Alvin Drew, Lisa Nowak, and Stephen Frick. He graduated in June 1994 and was assigned to the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate at Patuxent River. One of his initial assignments was to investigate the F-14 crash that killed Kara Hultgreen. His assessment was to create a digital flight control system that would have saved Hultgreen's life. This resulted in the acceleration of one's development, and he was the first pilot to fly the F-14 with the digital flight control system installed.[18]: 166–170
After attaining the rank of captain in the U.S. Navy, Kelly retired from active duty on June 19, 2012, after 25 years of naval service. He flew over 8,000 hours in more than 40 aircraft and accomplished over 250 carrier landings throughout his naval career.[11]
Personal life[edit]
On April 25, 1992, Kelly married his first wife, Leslie (née Yandell), whom he had met while stationed in Virginia Beach.[18]: 160, 165–166 Together, they have two children.[18]: 168, 255 Kelly and Leslie divorced in 2010.[18]: 268–271 In July 2018, Kelly married Amiko Kauderer, a public affairs officer for NASA.[71][72] His sister-in-law is Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman from Arizona.[18]: 262
In 2007, Kelly was successfully treated for prostate cancer. After Kelly received his diagnosis, his brother Mark was also diagnosed and successfully treated.[18]: 263–265
Charity[edit]
On October 27, 2022, Kelly became an ambassador for the UNITED24 project.[73] In the project, Kelly will help the "Medical Aid" department to collect funds for C-class ambulances.[74] Doctors need several hundred such vehicles, because many ambulances were destroyed during the Russian-Ukrainian war.