US Senator From West Orange Joins Astronaut Hall Of Fame: Mark Kelly

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange officially has its own “hall of fame” astronaut. And he’s a U.S. senator, to boot.

Last weekend, NASA astronauts Mark Kelly and Roy Bridges were inducted into the prestigious U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at a ceremony in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The pair are the 24th class of spacewalkers to join the hall, bringing the total number of honored astronauts to 107.

Kelly – a West Orange native – currently serves as a U.S. senator in Arizona. He is married to former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, and has an identical twin brother, Scott, an accomplished astronaut who was inducted into the hall in 2020. Read More: West Orange Man Breaks USA Record For Days In Space (VIDEO)

Kelly served as a U.S. Navy combat pilot as well as a NASA astronaut. He is the recipient of two Defense Superior Service Medals, Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and multiple Air Medals.

As a Navy pilot, he made multiple deployments aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway and flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. He has logged more than 5,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft and has over 375 carrier landings.

In 1996, he was selected as an astronaut in the same NASA class as his brother. Kelly’s first of four trips into space were as pilot of STS-108 in December 2001, during which he helped deliver equipment, supplies and additional crew members to the ISS. He then served as pilot of STS-121 aboard Discovery, the second “Return to Flight” mission following the loss of Columbia in February 2003. STS-124, also aboard Discovery, in May of 2008 was Kelly’s first mission as commander. Kelly and his crew delivered the pressurized module for the Japanese Lab to the ISS.

He retired from NASA in 2011 after commanding space shuttle Endeavour on its final flight, STS-134, which delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the ISS. Kelly has spent more than 50 days in space – traveling over 20 million miles.

As a U.S. senator for Arizona, Kelly serves as chair of the Airland subcommittee on Senate Armed Services, which oversees the Army and Air Force planning, operations and programs. He also sits on the Environment and Public Works and the Energy and Natural Resources Committees.

Standing in front of dozens of their peers, Kelly and Bridges – a decorated pilot, test pilot and astronaut – both said that being an astronaut fulfilled a lifelong dream.

“To have played a small part in the world’s greatest space program was a privilege, and to have been selected for this recognition is a true honor,” Kelly said.

“I can’t help but to reflect on the journey here, from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, to flying in the Navy in Operation Desert Storm, to becoming a test pilot, and eventually getting that call that I’d been selected as an astronaut,” he continued, recalling a career pathway that he elaborated on via social media.

“I’m so grateful to have been born in a country where the son of two police officers, who watched the Apollo missions from his living room floor, can go on to achieve his dreams of flying to space in service of their country,” Kelly said.

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