History of Mark Kelly in Timeline
Mark Kelly is an American politician, retired astronaut, and former naval officer. He currently serves as the senior United States senator from Arizona, a position he has held since 2020. Kelly is affiliated with the Democratic Party.
February 21, 1964: Mark Kelly Born
On February 21, 1964, Mark Edward Kelly was born. He is an American politician, retired astronaut, and former naval officer.
1982: Graduated High School
In 1982, Mark Kelly graduated from Mountain High School.
1982: Entered United States Merchant Marine Academy
In the summer of 1982, Mark Kelly entered the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
1986: Graduated from United States Merchant Marine Academy
In 1986, Mark Kelly graduated with honors from the United States Merchant Marine Academy with a BSc in marine engineering and nautical science.
December 1987: Became a Naval Aviator
In December 1987, Mark Kelly became a naval aviator and received initial training on the A-6E Intruder attack aircraft.
January 7, 1989: Kelly married Amelia Victoria Babis
On January 7, 1989, Mark Kelly married Amelia Victoria Babis.
1994: Attended U.S. Naval Test Pilot School
From 1993 to 1994, after receiving his master's degree, Mark Kelly attended U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.
1994: Received MSc in Aeronautical Engineering
In 1994, Mark Kelly received a MSc in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.
1996: Selected as NASA Space Shuttle Pilot
In 1996, Mark Kelly was selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot.
December 5, 2001: Launched on STS-108
After several delays, Mark Kelly's first trip into space was as pilot of STS-108. Endeavour lifted off on December 5, 2001, on the final Shuttle mission of 2001.
2001: First Space Mission
In 2001, Mark Kelly flew his first space mission as the pilot of STS-108.
February 2003: Loss of Columbia
In February 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost.
2003: Kelly Met Gabby Giffords on trade mission to China
In 2003, Mark Kelly met U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords on a trip to China as part of a trade mission sponsored by the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations.
2004: Kelly divorced Amelia Victoria Babis
In 2004, Mark Kelly divorced Amelia Victoria Babis. They had two daughters, Claudia and Claire Kelly.
July 2006: Piloted STS-121 Discovery
In July 2006, Mark Kelly piloted STS-121 Discovery, which was the second "Return to Flight" mission after the loss of Columbia in February 2003. STS-121 became the first shuttle mission to launch on the Fourth of July.
2006: Piloted STS-121
In 2006, Mark Kelly piloted STS-121, which was the second 'Return to Flight' mission.
November 10, 2007: Kelly Married Gabby Giffords
On November 10, 2007, Mark Kelly married U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords in Tucson, Arizona. The ceremony was attended by his STS-124 shuttle crew and former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.
2009: Logged Over 54 Days in Space
As of 2009, Mark Kelly had logged over 54 days in space overall.
October 7, 2010: Scott Kelly Went to the ISS
On October 7, 2010, Scott Kelly went to the ISS. A potential rendezvous in space between the Kelly brothers was planned but ultimately did not occur.
January 8, 2011: Assassination attempt on Gabby Giffords
On January 8, 2011, Gabby Giffords was shot in an assassination attempt, resulting in six deaths and bringing national attention to Mark Kelly.
January 12, 2011: Memorial service for Tucson shooting victims
On January 12, 2011, a memorial service was held at the University of Arizona for those killed in the assassination attempt on Gabby Giffords. President Obama spoke at the memorial, and Mark Kelly attended and was consoled by Obama.
January 2011: Gabby Giffords Shooting
In January 2011, Mark Kelly's wife, Arizona Representative Gabby Giffords, was shot in an assassination attempt in Arizona.
February 3, 2011: Kelly spoke at National Prayer Breakfast
On February 3, 2011, Mark Kelly spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., where he shared how the attack on his wife, Gabby Giffords, had brought him closer to God and gave him a newfound awareness regarding prayer.
February 4, 2011: Kelly to remain commander of STS-134
On February 4, 2011, NASA announced that Mark Kelly would remain commander of the STS-134 mission, following his wife's shooting. The progress in her recovery helped him return to training.
April 29, 2011: First Launch Attempt of STS-134 Scrubbed
On April 29, 2011, the first launch attempt of STS-134 was scrubbed. Gabby Giffords attended, marking her first trip since the assassination attempt. President Barack Obama also visited the Kennedy Space Center.
May 16, 2011: STS-134 Launched
STS-134, commanded by Mark Kelly, launched on May 16, 2011.
May 22, 2011: Call from Pope Benedict XVI to Endeavour
On May 22, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI called the Space Shuttle Endeavour, during which he extended his blessing to Gabby Giffords. This marked the first time a pope spoke to astronauts during a mission.
June 21, 2011: Announced Retirement from Navy and NASA
On June 21, 2011, Mark Kelly announced his retirement from both the Navy and NASA, effective October 1, citing Gabby Giffords's needs during her recovery.
June 24, 2011: Message for Wife via Song Lyrics
On June 24, 2011, a recorded message by Mark Kelly from the ISS wished his wife love using song lyrics from David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and introduced U2's song "Beautiful Day" at the Glastonbury festival.
2011: Delivered Paid Speeches for Shaklee
From 2011 to 2016, Mark Kelly delivered paid speeches in the U.S. and in China on behalf of Shaklee, a multi-level marketing distributor of nutritional supplements.
2011: Coauthored Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience
In 2011, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords coauthored the book "Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience", which provides biographical information and details the assassination attempt on Giffords.
2011: Kelly became advocate for gun control in 2011
In 2011, Mark Kelly became an outspoken advocate for gun control following the attempted assassination of his wife, Gabby Giffords, in the Tucson mass shooting.
March 28, 2012: Joined SpaceX Safety Advisory Panel
On March 28, 2012, SpaceX announced that Mark Kelly would be part of an independent safety advisory panel.
2012: Authored Mousetronaut
In 2012, Mark Kelly's second book, "Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story", was published. It is a children's book illustrated by C. F. Payne and became a New York Times bestseller.
January 2013: Started Americans for Responsible Solutions
In January 2013, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords started Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS), a nonprofit political action committee promoting solutions to gun violence.
March 31, 2013: Called for Universal Background Checks
On March 31, 2013, Mark Kelly stated that "any bill that does not include a universal background check is a mistake" regarding gun control.
2013: Director of Flight Crew Operations at World View Enterprises
Beginning in 2013, Mark Kelly served as Director of Flight Crew Operations at World View Enterprises, a high-altitude balloon near-space exploration company. Kelly was also a co-founder and strategic advisor for the company.
2013: Founded Americans for Responsible Solutions
In 2013, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, a political action committee campaigning for gun control.
2014: Coauthored Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence
In 2014, Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly coauthored "Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence."
2015: Co-wrote Astrotwins: Project Blastoff
In 2015, Mark Kelly and Martha Freeman co-wrote "Astrotwins: Project Blastoff", a fictional story about twins Scott and Mark who build a space capsule.
2015: Kelly appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy!
In 2015, Mark Kelly appeared on an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!.
2016: Tencent Investment in World View
Between 2013 and 2016, Chinese company Tencent invested millions into World View Enterprises, where Mark Kelly was Director of Flight Crew Operations.
2016: Delivered Paid Speeches for Shaklee
From 2011 to 2016, Mark Kelly delivered paid speeches in the U.S. and in China on behalf of Shaklee, a multi-level marketing distributor of nutritional supplements.
2016: Americans for Responsible Solutions merged with Law Center
In 2016, Americans for Responsible Solutions merged with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to become Giffords.
2016: Astrotwins—Project Rescue Published
In 2016, the sequel to Astrotwins: Project Blastoff, titled Astrotwins—Project Rescue, was published.
August 25, 2018: Death of John McCain
John McCain's death on August 25, 2018, created the Senate seat that Mark Kelly would later run for.
December 31, 2018: Jon Kyl Resigned
On December 31, 2018, Jon Kyl resigned from the Senate seat, which he held as an appointee after John McCain's death.
February 12, 2019: Announced Candidacy for U.S. Senate
On February 12, 2019, Mark Kelly announced his candidacy for Arizona's Class 3 U.S. Senate seat in the 2020 special election.
2019: Left World View
In 2019, Mark Kelly left World View Enterprises before starting his Senate campaign.
August 4, 2020: Won Democratic Primary
On August 4, 2020, Mark Kelly won the Democratic primary for Arizona's U.S. Senate seat.
November 4, 2020: Won the Senate Election
On November 4, 2020, the Associated Press called the race for Mark Kelly, marking the first time since 1953 that Arizona had two Democratic senators.
December 2, 2020: Sworn into the Senate
Mark Kelly was sworn in as a U.S. Senator for Arizona at noon on December 2, 2020, and cast his first vote.
December 2, 2020: First Senate Vote
On December 2, 2020, Mark Kelly cast his first Senate vote, a "no" vote on the nomination of Kathryn C. Davis to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
2020: Kelly ran as a moderate in 2020
In 2020, Mark Kelly ran as a moderate candidate and voiced his support for bipartisanship.
2020: Kelly's stance on abortion rights in 2020
In 2020, as a candidate, Mark Kelly declared himself as "pro-choice" and received endorsement from Planned Parenthood. He voiced his support for codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law and expressed that late-stage abortions should be legally protected.
January 3, 2021: Other Senators and Representatives Elected in 2020 Took Office
On January 3, 2021, other senators and representatives elected in 2020 took office.
February 2021: Kelly voted to convict Trump in impeachment trial
In February 2021, Mark Kelly voted to convict Donald Trump for incitement of insurrection during his second impeachment trial and has expressed his disdain for him.
2021: World View Stocks
As of 2021, Mark Kelly held over $100,000 of World View stocks through a blind trust.
2021: Kelly's environmental record and connections to ExxonMobil in 2021
In 2021, the League of Conservation Voters gave Mark Kelly a 97% score. Also in 2021, a Greenpeace exposé revealed that Kelly was considered "crucial" to ExxonMobil, and he had received funding from ExxonMobil lobbyists.
October 2022: Kelly's Voting Record
As of October 2022, Mark Kelly has voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 94.5% of the time.
2022: Kelly advocated for oil drilling expansion in 2022
In 2022, Mark Kelly advocated for an expansion of oil drilling in response to rising gas prices.
2022: Elected to Full Senate Term
In 2022, Mark Kelly was elected to a full term in office, defeating Republican challenger Blake Masters.
2022: Re-elected to Senate
In 2022, Mark Kelly was re-elected to the Senate, defeating Republican nominee Blake Masters.
January 2023: Indian tribes bills signed into law
In January 2023, three bills regarding Indian tribes, introduced by Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, were signed into law. These bills addressed water rights and infrastructure for the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, and the Hualapai tribe.
2023: Bipartisan END FENTANYL Act Passed
In 2023, Mark Kelly co-sponsored the bipartisan END FENTANYL Act, which became law. The law mandates that U.S. Customs and Border Protection updates its interdiction procedures at least every three years to combat narcotics and human trafficking at the U.S. southern border.
July 2024: Kelly blamed Trump for sinking bipartisan border bill
In July 2024, Mark Kelly blamed former President Donald Trump for the failure of a bipartisan border bill.
2024: Considered for Vice Presidential Nomination
In 2024, Mark Kelly was reportedly a leading contender for the Democratic vice presidential nomination, but Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz.
2025: Kelly voted for the Laken Riley Act
In 2025, Mark Kelly was among the Senate Democrats who joined all Republicans in voting for the Laken Riley Act.
2025: Became Arizona's Senior Senator
In 2025, upon Kyrsten Sinema's departure from the Senate, Mark Kelly became Arizona's senior senator.
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