Scott Kelly (astronaut) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Scott Kelly
Kelly at the Johnson Space Center in 2019
Born	Scott Joseph Kelly (1964-02-21) February 21, 1964 (age 61) Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Education	University of Maryland, Baltimore County State University of New York Maritime College (BEng) University of Tennessee, Knoxville (MS)
Spouse(s)	Leslie Yandell (m. 1992; div. 2009) Amiko Kauderer (m. 2018)
Children	2
Relatives	Mark Kelly (twin brother)

Space career
Rank	Captain, USN
Time in space	520d
Selection	NASA Group 16 (1996)
Total EVAs	3
Total EVA time	18h 20m
Missions	STS-103 STS-118 Soyuz TMA-01M (Expedition 25/26) Soyuz TMA-16M/Soyuz TMA-18M (Expedition 43/44/45/46, ISS year-long mission)
Mission insignia
Retirement	April 1, 2016

Scott Joseph Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American engineer and a retired astronaut. He was also a naval aviator, which means he flew planes for the Navy. Scott Kelly has flown to space four times. He even commanded the International Space Station (ISS) during several long missions.

His first trip to space was in December 1999 as the pilot of the Space Shuttle Discovery. This mission, called STS-103, helped fix the Hubble Space Telescope. It lasted for almost eight days. Scott Kelly's second spaceflight was in August 2007. He was the commander of STS-118, a 12-day Space Shuttle mission to the ISS.

His third space mission was as a crew member for Expedition 25 and Expedition 26 on the ISS. He arrived at the ISS on October 9, 2010, aboard the Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft. He became the commander of the station on November 25, 2010. This mission ended on March 16, 2011.

In November 2012, Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko were chosen for a special year-long mission to the ISS. Their long stay in space began on March 27, 2015. They lived on the station for Expedition 43, Expedition 44, Expedition 45, and Expedition 46. This amazing mission finished on March 1, 2016.

Scott Kelly retired from NASA on April 1, 2016. His identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, is also a retired astronaut. Mark Kelly is now a U.S. senator for Arizona.

Early Life and Education
Naval Career
NASA Career
After NASA
Personal Life
Charity Work
Awards and Honors
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Scott Kelly and his identical twin brother, Mark, were born on February 21, 1964. They were born in Orange, New Jersey. Their parents, Patricia and Richard Kelly, both worked as police officers. The Kelly family lived in West Orange.

Scott and Mark both finished high school in West Orange in 1982. While in high school, Scott also worked as an emergency medical technician. He helped people in emergencies in Orange and Jersey City, New Jersey.

After high school, Scott Kelly went to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During his first year, he read a book called The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. This book inspired him to become a Navy pilot.

He then moved to the State University of New York Maritime College. There, he earned a scholarship from the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (Navy ROTC). He sailed on the training ship Empire State V during his summers. He visited places like Mallorca, Hamburg, and London. In 1987, he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical engineering. Later, he also got a Master of Science degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee.

Naval Career

After college, Scott Kelly became an ensign in the United States Navy. He learned to fly planes at NAS Pensacola. He started with propeller planes like the T-34 Mentor. Then, he was chosen to fly jets.

In 1988, he moved to Beeville, Texas, for jet training. He trained on the T-2 Buckeye and the A-4 Skyhawk. In 1989, he officially became a naval aviator. He was assigned to fly the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. He trained at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. In September 1990, he joined VF-143. He then sailed to the North Atlantic and Persian Gulf on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In 1993, Kelly was chosen to attend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. His brother Mark was also in his class. Other future astronauts like Alvin Drew and Lisa Nowak were there too. He finished school in June 1994. One of his first jobs was to investigate an F-14 crash. He helped develop a new digital flight control system for the F-14. He was the first pilot to fly an F-14 with this new system.

Scott Kelly became a captain in the U.S. Navy. He retired from the Navy on June 19, 2012. He had served for 25 years. During his Navy career, he flew over 8,000 hours in more than 40 different aircraft. He also completed over 250 landings on aircraft carriers.

NASA Career

Mark and Scott Kelly after the Year in Space mission (2016)

In 1995, Scott Kelly and his brother Mark applied to NASA to become astronauts. In April 1996, both brothers were chosen. They were the first relatives ever selected as astronauts by NASA. In July 1996, Scott Kelly moved to Houston. He began training at the Johnson Space Center with Astronaut Group 16. After training, he worked on the warning system for the International Space Station.

After his first spaceflight, STS-103, Scott Kelly worked as NASA's director of operations in Star City, Russia. He also served as a backup crew member for other ISS missions. After the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, Kelly helped coordinate searches for debris. He also led the Astronaut Office Space Station Branch.

In September 2002, Kelly commanded the NEEMO 4 mission. This mission took place in the Aquarius underwater laboratory. It was located 4 miles off the coast of Key Largo. The NEEMO 4 crew spent five days living underwater. This was like a space simulation to practice working in extreme conditions. In April 2005, Kelly was also part of the three-day NEEMO 8 mission. During NEEMO 8, the crew practiced building things underwater. They used a remotely operated underwater vehicle for their "spacewalks."

First Spaceflight: STS-103

Kelly on STS-103 in a partial-pressure suit for reentry and landing (1999)

In March 1999, Scott Kelly was assigned to the STS-103 mission. He was the pilot aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission's goal was to install new instruments and upgrade systems on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Discovery launched on December 19, 1999. It met up with the HST after orbiting Earth 40 times.

The astronauts on STS-103 performed three spacewalks. They replaced parts like gyroscopes and a transmitter. They also installed a new computer guidance sensor. On December 25, 1999, the crew celebrated Christmas in space. After 119 orbits, Discovery landed at the Kennedy Space Center on December 27, 1999.

Second Spaceflight: STS-118

The crew of STS-118. (2007)

After being a backup for an ISS mission, Kelly was assigned as commander of STS-118. This mission was aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Due to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, STS-118 was delayed until August 2007. Endeavour launched on August 8, 2007. During launch, foam pieces hit the orbiter. However, checks showed no dangerous damage.

The Shuttle successfully docked with the ISS on August 10. Endeavour's crew added a new part called a truss segment to the ISS. They also added a spare-parts platform and a gyroscope. The mission was made longer to test a new system. This system allowed the Shuttle to get power from the station. During the mission, four spacewalks were done to install the new equipment. The mission ended a day early because of Hurricane Dean. STS-118 completed 201 orbits. It landed on August 21, 2007, at the Kennedy Space Center. The mission lasted 12 days, 17 hours, 55 minutes, and 34 seconds.

Third Spaceflight: Expeditions 25 and 26

The Expedition 26 crew. (2010)

In late 2007, Kelly was assigned to Expedition 25 and Expedition 26. He launched aboard Soyuz TMA-01M from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This happened on October 7, 2010. He flew with cosmonauts Aleksandr Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka. TMA-01M was the first launch of an updated Soyuz spacecraft. It had better guidance and control systems.

Kelly, Kaleri, and Skripochka arrived at the ISS on October 9, 2010. They joined Commander Douglas H. Wheelock and other crew members. While Kelly was on the ISS, the crew supported about 115 science experiments. These included testing a new water-recycling machine. They also researched how vegetables grow in space. Cosmonauts Yurchikhin and Skripochka did a spacewalk. They installed a workstation and handrails on the Zvezda module.

On November 25, 2010, Commander Wheelock handed over command of the station to Kelly. On December 17, 2010, Soyuz TMA-20 arrived with new crew members. The crew of STS-133 aboard Discovery arrived on February 26, 2011. They performed two spacewalks. Discovery undocked on March 7, 2011, and landed for its final time two days later.

On January 8, 2011, while Kelly was in space, his sister-in-law, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, was shot. Soyuz TMA-01M landed in Kazakhstan on March 16, 2011. Kelly then went to Houston to see Giffords and his brother Mark. Mark was the commander of STS-134, the final flight of Endeavour. He launched on May 16, 2011, with Giffords watching.

Fourth Spaceflight: Year in Space (Expeditions 43–46)

Kelly and Korniyenko aboard the ISS (2015).

Kelly with President Barack Obama in January 2015

NASA planned a year-long mission on the ISS. The main goal was to understand how space affects the human body. In November 2012, Scott Kelly was chosen for this one-year mission. He was briefly disqualified due to vision changes in space. But Kelly appealed, and he was reselected with cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko.

Kelly, Kornienko, and Gennady Padalka launched aboard Soyuz TMA-16M from Kazakhstan. This happened on March 27, 2015. TMA-16M docked with the ISS, and they joined the Expedition 43 crew. Once aboard, they did many science experiments. They studied how fluids moved in their bodies to see effects on eyesight. They also collected blood and urine samples for analysis. During Expedition 43, the ISS received supplies from a SpaceX Dragon mission. However, they lost a Russian supply spacecraft due to a failure. Expedition 44 began on June 11, 2015.

Soyuz TMA-17M docked with the ISS on July 22, 2015. It brought NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren and other crew members. During Expedition 44, the ISS received supplies from Japanese and Russian vehicles. But they had another loss of a SpaceX supply mission. On August 28, 2016, Soyuz TMA-16M moved to a different port. This was to prepare for the arrival of Soyuz TMA-18M. Soyuz TMA-18M docked on September 4, 2015. It brought Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov and others. One of its jobs was to bring a new Soyuz for Kelly, Korniyenko, and Volkov to return to Earth.

Expedition 45 began on September 11, 2015. Kelly took command of the station. During this time, the ISS received supplies from two more missions. On October 28, 2015, Kelly and Lindgren did a spacewalk. They worked on the Canada Arm 2 and installed cables. Kelly and Lindgren did a second spacewalk on November 6, 2015. They worked on the ammonia cooling system. Expedition 46 began on December 11, 2015.

On December 15, 2015, new flight engineers joined Expedition 46. On December 21, 2015, Kelly and Kopra did an unplanned spacewalk. They fixed a problem with the Mobile Transporter rail car for the Canada Arm 2. After the repair, the ISS received more supplies. On January 15, 2016, Kopra and Peake did another spacewalk. They had to return early because water got into Kopra's helmet. On January 8, 2016, Kelly appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He sent the first-ever thank-you note from space!

On March 1, 2016, Kelly handed command of the ISS to Kopra. He returned to Earth with Korniyenko and Volkov aboard Soyuz TMA-18M. The spacecraft landed in Kazakhstan. Kelly returned to Houston the next day.

During his year in space, Kelly was part of a special study. His identical twin brother, Mark, stayed on Earth as a control subject. Scientists compared Scott's body changes to Mark's. This helped them understand how space affects humans. After returning, Kelly's body quickly adapted to gravity. Genetic tests showed changes in Kelly's genes. His telomeres (parts of chromosomes) even got longer.

After NASA

On March 12, 2016, Scott Kelly announced he would retire from NASA. His retirement became official on April 1, 2016. On November 20, 2016, Kelly was named a United Nations Champion for Space. He helps raise awareness about space activities for the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).

In November 2017, Kelly released his memoir. It was called Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery. On June 19, 2018, Kelly spoke at a UN conference in Vienna. He shared his thoughts on human potential: "After spending a year in space, I was absolutely inspired that if we can dream it, we can do it...and most importantly, if we work as a team, because teamwork makes the dream work. The sky is not the limit."

Personal Life

Scott Kelly first married Leslie Yandell on April 25, 1992. They had two children together. Kelly and Leslie divorced in 2010. In July 2018, Kelly married Amiko Kauderer. She is a public affairs officer for NASA. His sister-in-law is Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman.

In 2007, Kelly was treated for prostate cancer. His brother Mark was also diagnosed and treated successfully.

Charity Work

On October 27, 2022, Scott Kelly became an ambassador for the UNITED24 project. This project helps Ukraine. Kelly helps the "Medical Aid" part of the project. He collects money for C-class ambulances. Doctors in Ukraine need many ambulances because some were destroyed during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Awards and Honors

Scott Kelly has received many awards and honors for his service.

United States Naval Astronaut Badge

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Defense Superior Service Medal	with Oak Leaf Cluster
	Legion of Merit
	Distinguished Flying Cross
	Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
	Navy Achievement Medal
	Navy Unit Commendation
	NASA Distinguished Service Medal
	NASA Exceptional Service Medal
	NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal
	NASA Space Flight Medal	Three awards
	National Defense Service Medal	Two awards
	Southwest Asia Service Medal
	Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
	Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
	Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
	Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"	Russian Federation

Kelly received an honorary Korolev Diploma in 1999. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Science degree from the State University of New York in 2008. Kelly was featured on the cover of Time magazine on December 29, 2014. In 2015, he was listed as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People.

Kelly is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Association of Space Explorers.

On March 9, 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kelly tweeted that he would return his Russian Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration." He said he would mail it to the Russian embassy in Washington. He suggested that former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev give it to "a Russian mother whose son has died in this unjust war." Kelly also tweeted instructions for Russian soldiers on how to disable their T-72 main battle tanks.

On October 27, 2022, Kelly became an ambassador for the United24 fundraising platform. He helps with the "Medical aid" part of the project. His first goal is to raise money for Type C ambulance vehicles.