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Mark Edward Kelly is a retired American astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain. He is the husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, an author, and an advocate of gun control.
A naval aviator, Kelly flew combat missions during the Gulf War. He was selected to become a NASA Space Shuttle pilot in 1996 and flew his first mission in 2001 as pilot of STS-108. He piloted STS-121 in 2006 and commanded STS-124 in 2008 and STS-134 in 2011. STS-134 was his final mission and the final mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour.
His wife was the target of an attempted assassination in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011. After the shooting, in which six people were killed, both Kelly and Giffords were thrust into the media spotlight. His wife's shooting led to a broad national conversation ranging from the duties of a husband to what is acceptable civil discourse. The couple wrote a book about their lives and their experiences, discussing the shooting and Giffords's initial recovery.
Kelly's identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, is also an astronaut and served as commander of International Space Station Expedition 26. The Kelly brothers are the only twins and only siblings to have both traveled in space.
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