Wed, Jun 22, 2011
Wife Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Was Seriously Wounded By
A Gunman In January
NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Capt. Mark
Kelly (pictured) has announced his plans to retire from
the agency on October 1. He is a veteran of four space shuttle
missions.
"We salute Commander Mark Kelly and his contributions to NASA as
an extremely accomplished member of the astronaut corps and the
final commander of the space shuttle Endeavour," said NASA
Administrator Charles Bolden. "We deeply respect his achievements
and his decision to focus on his family. We continue to send out
our thoughts and prayers to Mark and his wife, Rep. Gabrielle
Giffords, as she makes a remarkable recovery. We know that Mark
will continue to do great things for his country no matter what he
chooses to do next. He has helped us build a space program poised
to take advantage of the many opportunities in our bright
future."
Kelly announced his retirement Tuesday on Facebook and via his
Twitter account. On Facebook, he wrote, "This was not an easy
decision. Public service has been more than a job for me and for my
family." He added, "I know that as our space program evolves, there
are those who will question NASA's future. I am not among them.
There isn't a group more dedicated to its mission or more capable
than the outstanding men and women of NASA."
Congresswoman Giffords
Kelly commanded the STS-134 flight in May and STS-124 in 2008.
He served as the pilot on STS-121 in 2006 and STS-108 in 2001. He
joined NASA as an astronaut candidate in 1996.
USA Today reports that Kelly and Giffords are working
on an as-yet-untitled joint memoir.
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