Irish American Astronauts. First siblings, twins in space.

Sceala Clann T.D. Location: Derry roots

When the Irish American Kelly brothers meet in space, it will mark the first time any siblings, let alone identical twins, have ever met up in space. The Kelly brothers are the only twins who have both traveled in space.

Interview with NASA Astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly

One great quote for you guys from a newspaper in Ireland.
Irish American astronauts. first twins in space.
If first generation Irish Americans can do it then why can’t Irish people?
Scott Kelly lifted off Thursday from Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Soyuz on a six-month mission to the International Space Station. His brother, Mark, is scheduled to command Endeavour on its last shuttle mission at the end of February.
If Endeavour's launch date holds, that will mark the first time that siblings are in space together, NASA officials said.
The brothers, 46, are slated to spend eight days together on the space station.
Thursday's flight is Scott's third trip in orbit, Endeavour will be Mark's fourth flight.
Irish Community Images

An American astronaut is gearing up to launch into space Thursday (Oct. 7), setting up a potential in-orbit meeting with his identical twin brother — also a space man — early next year.
U.S. Navy Capt. Scott Kelly, a NASA astronaut, is poised to ride a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station alongside two Russian crewmates. Liftoff is set for 7:10 p.m. EDT (2310 GMT) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Kelly, 46, won't be far from family when his rocket blasts off. His twin brother Mark, also a NASA astronaut and Navy captain, will watch his twin launch and then prepare to command his own mission — the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour.
If all goes well, Mark Kelly will launch on Endeavour Feb. 27 and join Scott, who will be in command of the space station by then.
"It's something that I think we both consider would be really neat if it happened," Scott said during a series of NASA interviews. "But having the privilege of flying in space, without flying together, is just an incredible opportunity and I always thought it'd be great if it happened."

Scott said he looks forward to greeting Mark when the brothers meet at the space station's hatch — marking the first time any siblings, let alone identical twin astronauts, have ever met up in space.

That moment would be a happy one, both brothers said, but they wouldn't have too much time to dwell on it.

"These missions are incredibly complicated," Mark said in a NASA interview. "Scott and I have to work together to make sure this thing gets executed correctly with nobody getting hurt and everything getting accomplished. So it's really going to be more about the mission than 'Hey, we're in space together.'"

"There's not going to be a whole lot of time for joking around," Scott agreed.

Still, both brothers plan to share their experiences in space via the microblogging site Twitter. Scott Kelly posts Twitter updates under the name StationCDRKelly. Mark Kelly's Twitter posts appear under the moniker ShuttleCDRKelly.
mnn.com/earth-matters/space/stories/for-astronaut-twin-launching-into-space-is-all-in-the-family
Irish American Astronauts
Schoolchildren today took the first small step towards launching an Irish astronaut into space within the next 20 years.
President Mary McAleese welcomed NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Brian Duffy on their information mission to Dublin, as national job training body FAS worked to tighten links with the US space programme.
John Cahill, manager of the science and engineering project at FAS, said one of the main hopes for the space programme was to ensure that Irish people moved forward in the new technology and science field.
“The intention is to have an Irish astronaut in space,” Mr Cahill said. “That is what the Irish Government want.
“If we can build on this link, we have three astronauts, and a former chief executive in NASA here, these people don’t come without an interest.
“Brian Duffy and Scott Kelly bring an Irish American influence into it. If first generation Irish Americans can do it then why can’t Irish people?” Mr Cahill said.

The NASA astronauts were at the job and education Opportunities Fair in Dublin’s Croke Park where they talked to adults and schoolchildren about their five Space Shuttle missions.
The astronauts will be part of the US Space Shuttle’s return flight next May. Missions were suspended after the devastating deaths of the seven-crew members of the US shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003.
FAS has been building a science and space programme in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, and the Kennedy Space Centre in the US since 2003.
It is currently operating four projects including graduate internships, apprenticeships and schoolchildren visits.
Mr Cahill said the programmes were aimed at interesting schoolchildren in science and urge graduates to move towards research in engineering and new technology.
Many graduates have gained internships with NASA and companies relating to the US space programme through the FAS initiative.
Interest in the field is rapidly growing with more than 10,000 entries from primary school pupils for FAS’s Science Challenge – a limited 15-place visit to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida later this year.
Mr Cahill said it was the “dream” to ensure that more graduates went on into the science research field.
“The Irish graduate technicians that we are sending out are as good or better than the American ones, and I don’t mean that in a condescending way,” he said.
The FAS manager said the majority of new technology research was still carried out in the United States.
“The idea is to create linkages to research and engineering and new technology ideas to grow them, and give them the opportunity to move forward,” he said.
Mr Cahill said Irish graduates were still “lacking in confidence”.

Wikipedia reference
Scott J. Kelly
Irish Community Images

Scott Joseph Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American naval aviator and a NASA astronaut. His twin brother, Mark E. Kelly, is also in the NASA Astronaut Corps.
Personal
Kelly was born Orange, New Jersey to Richard and Patricia Kelly, and raised in the nearby community of West Orange. He graduated from West Orange's Mountain High School in 1982. He received a bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering from the State University of New York Maritime College[1] in 1987, and a master of science degree in Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1996.

Naval career
Kelly received his commission via NROTC following graduation from the State University of New York Maritime College in May 1987. He was designated a Naval Aviator on July 1989 at Naval Air Station Chase Field in Beeville, Texas.He then reported to Fighter Squadron 101 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia, for initial F-14 Tomcat training. Upon completion of this training, he was assigned to Fighter Squadron 143 and made overseas deployments to the North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69).Kelly was selected to attend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland in January 1993 and completed training in June 1994. After graduation, he worked as a test pilot at the Strike Aircraft Test Squadron, Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, flying the F-14A/B/D, F/A-18A/B/C/D and KC-130F. Kelly was the first pilot to fly an F-14 with an experimental digital flight control system installed and performed subsequent high angle of attack and departure testing.Kelly has logged over 3,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft and has over 250 carrier landings.
NASA career
Scott Kelly posing for the Expedition 26 crew picture on July 16th 2010

Selected by NASA in April 1996, Kelly reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. On completion of training, he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Spacecraft Systems/Operations Branch. He served as pilot on STS-103 in 1999 and has logged over 191 hours in space. Following STS-103, Kelly served as NASA’s Director of Operations in Star City, Russia. He served as a back-up crew member for ISS expedition 5 and, more recently, was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office extravehicular (eVA) Branch. Kelly commanded the crew of STS-118, an assembly mission to the International Space Station. The STS-118 Mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center, on Wednesday August 8, 2007, at 6:36 EDT, and landed at Kennedy on August 21, 2007.
Spaceflight experience

STS-103 (December 19-27, 1999), was an eight-day mission during which the crew successfully installed new instruments and upgraded systems on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). enhancing HST scientific capabilities required three space walks. The STS-103 mission was accomplished in 120 earth orbits, traveling 3.2 million miles in 191 hours and 11 minutes.

He is currently scheduled to be member of the Expedition 25 and 26 crews, flying to the International Space Station on board the Soyuz TMA-01M flight. [1]
Organizations

Kelly is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Association of Space Explorers
Awards
* Defense Superior Service Medal
* Navy Commendation Medal
* Navy Achievement Medal
* Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon (2)
* National Defense Service Medal (2)
* Southwest Asia Service Medal
* Kuwait Liberation Medal
* Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
References
1. ^ Astronaut Biography: Scott Kelly

Mark Edward Kelly
Irish Community Images

Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964, in Orange, New Jersey) is an American astronaut. NASA has selected Kelly to command STS-134, the final scheduled mission of the space shuttle program.[1] Kelly first went into space as the pilot for STS-108 Endeavour December 5–17, 2001. He returned to space as the pilot of STS-121 Discovery July 4-17, 2006. On Kelly's third mission he served as commander of STS-124 Discovery May 31 to June 14, 2008. His fourth mission (STS-134) is scheduled for February 26, 2011.[2]

Kelly's wife is U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Kelly is the first NASA astronaut to fly in space while married to a member of the U.S. Congress.[3] His twin brother, Scott J. Kelly, is also a NASA astronaut. The Kelly brothers are the only twins who have both traveled in space.[4]

NASA career

Mark Kelly and his twin brother Scott were both selected to be pilots by NASA in 1996. They joined the astronaut corps in August of that year. Mark Kelly has logged over 38 days in space
Spaceflight experience
STS-108
STS-108 commander Dominic L. Gorie and Kelly are in their respective stations during rendezvous operations with the ISS. Gorie brought Endeavour to a gentle linkup with the ISS as the two craft sailed over England.

Kelly was the pilot of STS-108 in 2001, a mission that visited the International Space Station (ISS), delivering over three tons of equipment, supplies, and a fresh crew to the orbiting outpost.[5] STS-108 returned to earth with the previous ISS crew of three men.

During the mission, Kelly traveled over 4.8 million miles and orbited the earth 185 times over 11 days and 19+ hours.[5]
STS-121
Kelly (center) surrounded by astronauts Piers J. Sellers (right) and Michael E. Fossum, both STS-121 mission specialists, attired in their Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuits, along with cosmonaut Pavel V. Vinogradov[6] (center left) and astronaut Stephanie D. Wilson pause for a moment as they prepare for the start of the mission's second scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) in the Quest Airlock of the International Space Station.

In July 2006, Kelly served as pilot for STS-121, the second Return to Flight mission following the loss of Columbia in February 2003. Because of weather delays, STS-121 became the first Shuttle mission to launch on the Fourth of July. The main purposes of the mission were to test new safety and repair techniques introduced following the Columbia disaster as well as to deliver supplies, equipment, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Reiter from Germany to the ISS. The transfer of Reiter to the ISS returned the station to a three crew member staffing level.

During the mission Kelly traveled over 5.28 million miles and orbited the earth 202 times over 12 days and 18+ hours.[5]
STS-124

On April 29, 2008, Kelly discussed his role on the upcoming mission:

Well, my first two flights I was the pilot on Endeavour in 2001, Discovery in 2006. Being the commander is different in that you’re responsible for the overall mission rather than just having your piece of the pie. You have to worry about the whole thing, the training drill your other crew members are getting, mission success, and mission safety. So it is a more comprehensive job, requires more time. I’m really a little bit surprised at how much more there is to it. But I think it’s more rewarding as well.[7]

Kelly was the commander of STS-124. Just prior to liftoff he made the following statement: "While we've all prepared for this event today, the discoveries from Kibo will definitely offer hope for tomorrow. Now stand by for the greatest show on Earth."[8]

Launch Pad 39A sustained unprecedented damage when STS-124 blasted off on May 31, 2008. Space.com reported that "inspectors found bricks and mortar from the trench designed to catch the flames that shoot out beneath the shuttle when it launches. The debris flew as far as the perimeter fence 1,500 feet (457 m) away from the pad."[9]

Kelly and his crew delivered the pressurized unit for the Japanese Experiment Module for the International Space Station (ISS), also known as Kibo (hope). They brought a replacement part for a malfunctioning toilet on the ISS. "After the shuttle docked with the station and Commander Kelly floated through the hatch, he joked, 'You looking for a plumber?'"[10] Disney action figure Buzz Lightyear joined Kelly and his crew on the mission.[11]

Kelly's first words upon returning to earth on June 14, 2008, were: “Wheels stopped.”[10] He then continued, "it's great to be back, great for all of us to be part of a great team and to leave the station a little bit bigger and a little bit more capable."[12]

During the mission, Kelly traveled over 5.7 million miles, and orbited the earth 217 times over 13 days 18+ hours. This mission was both Kelly's third and the third-longest mission for Discovery at the time of the mission.
STS-134

Mark Kelly will command space shuttle Endeavour on the final space shuttle mission STS-134. Kelly and his crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the ISS. AMS is a 15,000 lb cosmic particle detector that will be installed on the outside of ISS. Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter and antimatter. As commander of Endeavour, he will also be the last astronaut to leave a space shuttle after a completed mission.

The launch date is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2011.
Naval career

In December 1987, Kelly became a naval aviator and received initial training on the A-6E attack aircraft. He was then assigned to VA-115 (Attack Squadron 115) in Atsugi, Japan, and made two deployments to the Persian Gulf on the aircraft carrier USS Midway, during the second of which he flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. After receiving his master's degree he attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School from June 1993 to June 1994. He has logged more than 4,500 hours in more than 50 different aircraft and has over 375 carrier landings.[5]
Personal life

Born in Orange, New Jersey, Kelly was raised in West Orange, where he graduated from West Orange High School in 1982.[5] He then received a B.S. degree in marine engineering and nautical science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, graduating with highest honors in 1986. While attending the USMMA, he achieved the position of Regimental Executive Officer the second-highest position in the Regiment of Midshipmen, known informally as "RX". In 1994, he received an M.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

Kelly served as a fellow of the National Committee on U.S. China Relations.

He has two children. Kelly is married to U.S Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Tucson, Arizona.[13] His parents are Richard and Patricia Kelly of Flagler Beach, Florida.
References

1. ^ "Final shuttle flight delayed until November" MSNBC, April 26, 2010
2. ^ NASA Consolidated Launch Manifest retrieved July 1, 2010
3. ^ "Congresswoman's husband now in orbit", Arizona Republic, 1 June 2008.
4. ^ Twins in Outer Space, twinstuff.com
5. ^ a b c d e "Biographical Data: Mark E. Kelly (Commander, USN)". NASA.gov. 2008-06-01. jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kellyme.html. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
6. ^ Expedition 13 commander representing Russia's Federal Space Agency.
7. ^ Preflight Interview: Mark Kelly, Commander, NASA, April 29, 2008.
8. ^ "Shuttle Discovery Launches Space Station's Largest Lab", Space.com, 31 May 2008.
9. ^ "NASA Eyes Launch Pad Damage for Next Shuttle Flight", Space.com, 2 June 2008.
10. ^ a b "Shuttle Returns After 14-Day Mission", The New York Times, June 15, 2008.
11. ^ "Buzz Lightyear becomes real space ranger". collectSPACE. 2008-05-29. collectspace.com/news/news-052908a.html. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
12. ^ Welcome to NASA's STS-124 Landing Blog, NASA, June 14, 2008.
13. ^ Associated Press (2008-05-31). "Congresswoman Nervous as Husband Goes to Space". FoxNews.com. foxnews.com/story/0,2933,361174,00.html. Retrieved 2008-06-01.

Register

The Irish Community have posted
15 REPLIES TO THIS TOPIC
for logged in members to view.

Irish Forums Message Discussion :: Irish American Astronauts. First siblings, twins in space.

Irish American Astronauts. First siblings, twins in space.