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115-809: Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American politician, retired astronaut , and United States Navy captain . A member of the Democratic Party , he has been the junior U.S. senator from Arizona since 2020. In 2022, he won reelection to a full term. Kelly flew combat missions during the Gulf War as a naval aviator before being selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot in 1996. He flew his first space mission in 2001 as pilot of STS-108 , then piloted STS-121 in 2006, and commanded STS-124 in 2008 and STS-134 (the final mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour ) in 2011. In January 2011, Kelly's wife, then-Arizona Representative Gabby Giffords ,

230-797: A Democrat in the 2020 U.S. Senate special election in Arizona . Kelly looked to unseat incumbent Republican Martha McSally , a fellow veteran who was appointed to the seat shortly after losing the 2018 election for the state's other seat in the Senate to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema . The seat was vacated upon John McCain 's death on August 25, 2018, and held by Governor Doug Ducey 's appointee Jon Kyl until Kyl resigned on December 31, 2018. Kelly declined to accept campaign contributions from corporate political action committees (PACs), but did accept thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from corporate executives and lobbyists. The Associated Press called

345-627: A NASA Distinguished Service Medal ; and an Overseas Service Ribbon . On June 21, 2011, Kelly announced his retirement from both the Navy and NASA , effective October 1, citing Gabby Giffords 's needs during her recovery from the attempt on her life that January. NASA selected both Kelly and his identical twin , Scott Kelly , to be Space Shuttle pilots in 1996. They joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in August of that year. They are

460-660: A naval aviator and received initial training on the A-6E Intruder attack aircraft. He was then assigned to Attack Squadron 115 ( VA-115 ) at NAF Atsugi in Kanagawa, Japan. He was deployed twice with VA-115 to the Persian Gulf aboard the aircraft carrier USS  Midway , which was homeported at Naval Station Yokosuka in Yokosuka, Japan . During Operation Desert Storm , Kelly flew 39 combat missions . After

575-438: A (Partially) True Story (2012), is a children's book illustrated by C. F. Payne . It was a New York Times number one bestseller and was followed the next year by a sequel, Mousetronaut Goes to Mars . In 2014, Giffords and Kelly coauthored Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence . In 2015, Kelly and Martha Freeman co-wrote Astrotwins: Project Blastoff, a fictional story about twins Scott and Mark who build

690-559: A Kuwaiti armored battalion, 35th Armoured Brigade , deployed them against the Iraqi attack and conducted a robust defense at the Battle of the Bridges near Al Jahra , west of Kuwait City. Kuwaiti aircraft scrambled to meet the invading force, but approximately 20% were lost or captured. A few combat sorties were flown against Iraqi ground forces. The main Iraqi thrust into Kuwait City

805-524: A Senate seat in 1974. He is the longest-serving American astronaut-politician to date, serving 25 years in the Senate. Glenn left the human spaceflight program in 1964 and announced that he would challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Stephen M. Young in the Democratic primary at the end of Young's first term in office. Criticism of "astronaut turned politician" Glenn immediately followed his announcement, with Republicans and Young supporters disagreeing with

920-811: A degree in aeronautical engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) in 1986. Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa was the first Mongolian in space, flying on the Soyuz 39 mission in 1981. He served as the Minister of Defense of Mongolia from 2000 until 2004. In Russia, cosmonaut Yuri Baturin , described by Space.com in 2000 as "Russia's only cosmonaut / politician", became a senior aide to President Boris Yeltsin and served as one of that nation's leading space policy advisors. All four female Russian cosmonauts have gone on to serve in

1035-526: A failed compressor in one of the air conditioners in the Zvezda Service Module. A change of command ceremony took place on December 13 as Expedition 3 ended and Expedition 4 began. STS-108 returned to Earth with the previous ISS crew of three men. Kelly traveled over 4.8 million miles and orbited the Earth 186 times over 11 days and 19+ hours. In July 2006, Kelly piloted STS-121 Discovery ,

1150-459: A form of economic warfare, which it claimed was aggravated by Kuwait slant-drilling across the border into Iraq's Rumaila oil field . According to oil workers in the area, Iraq's slant drilling claim was fabricated, as "oil flows easily from the Rumaila field without any need for these techniques." At the same time, Saddam looked for closer ties with those Arab states that had supported Iraq in

1265-547: A local armed resistance movement following the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait. The Kuwaiti resistance's  [ ar ] casualty rate far exceeded that of the coalition military forces and Western hostages. The resistance predominantly consisted of ordinary citizens who lacked any form of training and supervision. A key element of US political, military and energy economic planning occurred in early 1984. The Iran–Iraq war had been going on for five years by that time and both sides sustained significant casualties, reaching into

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1380-715: A margin of 57% to 42%, despite being described by The New York Times as a "political neophyte". Jack Swigert , who had flown on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, was elected in November 1982 to the United States House of Representatives representing Colorado , based on a plan he developed that "evolved from his training as an astronaut and the success of the Apollo exploration of the Moon", but died before taking office. Jack Lousma lost to incumbent Carl Levin in

1495-585: A part of the Ottoman Empire 's province of Basra , something that Iraq claimed made Kuwait rightful Iraqi territory. Kuwait's ruling dynasty, the al-Sabah family , had concluded a protectorate agreement in 1899 that assigned responsibility for Kuwait's foreign affairs to the United Kingdom. The UK drew the border between Kuwait and Iraq in 1922, making Iraq almost entirely landlocked. Kuwait rejected Iraqi attempts to secure further provisions in

1610-603: A request for Kuwait to lease Iraq Umm Qasr was rejected. Saudi-backed development projects were hampered by Iraq's large debts, even with the demobilization of 200,000 soldiers. Iraq also looked to increase arms production so as to become an exporter, although the success of these projects was also restrained by Iraq's obligations; in Iraq, resentment to OPEC's controls mounted. Iraq's relations with its Arab neighbors, particularly Egypt, were degraded by mounting violence in Iraq against expatriate groups, who were well-employed during

1725-614: A resolution blocking President Donald Trump from selling $ 23 billion in drones to the United Arab Emirates . Kelly split his vote by voting yes on another resolution blocking F-35 sales to the UAE. Both resolutions failed. In the wake of the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack , Kelly said that Vice President Mike Pence and Trump's cabinet "have the responsibility to discuss invoking the 25th amendment", Section 4 of which allows

1840-731: A sitting Senator. The next year he retired from Congress. Two Apollo astronauts were elected to the United States Congress . Astronaut turned Senator, Harrison "Jack" Schmitt , whose participation on the Apollo 17 mission made him the only geologist to walk on the Moon, resigned from NASA in August 1975 and shortly thereafter ran as a Republican , winning the United States Senate in New Mexico seat in 1976 over two-term Democratic incumbent, Joseph Montoya by

1955-410: A space capsule in their grandfather's backyard and try to send the first kid into orbit. Kelly dedicated this book to Scott Kelly. The sequel, Astrotwins—Project Rescue , was published in 2016. Kelly was a co-founder and strategic advisor of Tucson-based high-altitude balloon near-space exploration company World View Enterprises . He served as Director of Flight Crew Operations beginning in 2013, and

2070-495: A strong air defense. Iraqi commandos infiltrated the Kuwaiti border first to prepare for the major units, which began the attack at midnight. The Iraqi attack had two prongs, with the primary attack force driving south straight for Kuwait City down the main highway, and a supporting attack force entering Kuwait farther west, but then turning and driving east, cutting off Kuwait City from the country's southern half. The commander of

2185-627: A successful counteroffensive ( Operation Undeniable Victory ), and the US increased its support for Iraq to prevent Iran from forcing a surrender. In a US bid to open full diplomatic relations with Iraq, the country was removed from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Ostensibly, this was because of improvement in the regime's record, although former US Assistant Defense Secretary Noel Koch later stated: "No one had any doubts about [the Iraqis'] continued involvement in terrorism  ... The real reason

2300-685: A total Iraqi pullout from Kuwait, without any linkage to other Middle Eastern problems, accepting the British view that any concessions would strengthen Iraqi influence in the region for years to come. On 12 August 1990, Saddam "propose[d] that all cases of occupation, and those cases that have been portrayed as occupation, in the region, be resolved simultaneously". Specifically, he called for Israel to withdraw from occupied territories in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, and "mutual withdrawals by Iraq and Iran and arrangement for

2415-584: A trip with the original intention of watching the Endeavour launch. Kelly was the commander of the mission, which was Endeavour ' s last. He and his crew delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the ISS. Most of the mission's delays were caused by external tank issues on STS-133 Discovery . When Scott Kelly went to the ISS on October 7, 2010, STS-134 was scheduled to go to

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2530-438: A week, creating a potentially serious problem for the crew. When Kelly first entered the station, he joked, "You looking for a plumber?" This mission was the first time a spouse of a member of Congress traveled to space. Kelly traveled over 5.7 million miles, and orbited the Earth 218 times over 13 days and 18 hours. As of 2009, Kelly had logged over 54 days in space overall. STS-134 launched on May 16, 2011. On April 29, 2011,

2645-399: A year, that Kuwait was still using the Rumaila oil field, and that loans made by the UAE and Kuwait could not be considered debts to its "Arab brothers". He threatened force against Kuwait and the UAE, saying: "The policies of some Arab rulers are American ... They are inspired by America to undermine Arab interests and security." The US sent aerial refuelling planes and combat ships to

2760-710: Is of Irish descent. He was born on February 21, 1964, in Orange, New Jersey , and raised in West Orange, New Jersey . Kelly graduated from Mountain High School in 1982. In 1986, he took highest honors in a marine engineering and nautical science BSc from the United States Merchant Marine Academy . In 1994, he received a MSc in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School . In December 1987, Kelly became

2875-399: Is risky. I think with regards to the tank, we've reduced some of the risk there. We've changed the design a little bit and we've made some pretty big strides in trying to get foam not to shed from the tank anymore. So there is some risk reduction there and I guess overall the risk is probably a little less. But this is a risky business, but it's got a big reward. Everybody on board Discovery and

2990-501: Is to promote solutions to gun violence with elected officials and the general public. The couple say it supports the Second Amendment while promoting responsible gun ownership and "keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people like criminals, terrorists, and the mentally ill". The group claims that "current gun laws allow private sellers to sell guns without a background check, creating a loophole that provides criminals and

3105-613: The 1984 United States Senate election in Michigan . Apollo 15 crew member Alfred Worden ran for Congress in 1982 to represent Florida's 12th congressional district , but lost the Republican primary to Tom Lewis . NASA's Shuttle program has produced American and foreign politicians. In 1985, Senator Jake Garn went into space aboard the STS-51-D flight as a payload specialist and in 1986 Rep. Bill Nelson of Florida became

3220-691: The 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent Iraq War). Some authors have called it the Second Gulf War to distinguish it from the Iran–Iraq War . Liberation of Kuwait ( Arabic : تحرير الكويت ) ( taḥrīr al-kuwayt ) is the term used by Kuwait and most of the coalition's Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates . Terms in other languages include French : la Guerre du Golfe and Guerre du Koweït ( War of Kuwait ); German : Golfkrieg ( Gulf War ) and Zweiter Golfkrieg ( Second Gulf War ). Most of

3335-480: The 2020 Senate special election in Arizona to fill the seat left open by the death of John McCain in 2018. In the Democratic primary , he faced only nominal opposition, winning the nomination with 99.93% of the vote. Kelly faced off against incumbent Senator Martha McSally (appointed by Governor Doug Ducey ) on Election Day, winning with a margin of about 2 points. He was sworn in on December 2, 2020. Kelly

3450-407: The 2020 special election . He won the Democratic primary on August 4, 2020, and defeated incumbent Republican Martha McSally in the general election on November 3, becoming the first Democrat to win this seat since 1962 . Kelly was sworn in on December 2. In 2022, he was elected to a full term in office, defeating Republican challenger Blake Masters . Independent Kyrsten Sinema 's departure from

3565-435: The Battle of Medina Ridge , the Battle of Norfolk , and the Battle of 73 Easting . The war is also known under other names, such as the Second Gulf War (not to be confused with the 2003 Iraq War , also referred to as such ), Persian Gulf War , Kuwait War , First Iraq War , or Iraq War before the term "Iraq War" became identified with the 2003 Iraq War (also known in the US as " Operation Iraqi Freedom "). The war

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3680-562: The European United Left–Nordic Green Left . Claudie Haigneré , a French spationaute , has been junior minister for Research and New Technologies, and junior minister for European Affairs, in a government led by Jean-Pierre Raffarin , but has never held elected office. Astronaut and veteran of two space missions Pedro Duque has been named Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain in May 2018. He earned

3795-611: The Iraq–Saudi Arabia border . The conflict marked the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle, principally by the American network CNN . It has also earned the nickname Video Game War , after the daily broadcast of images from cameras onboard American military aircraft during Operation Desert Storm. The Gulf War has also gained fame for some of the largest tank battles in American military history :

3910-525: The Israeli-occupied territories , where riots had resulted in Palestinian deaths, was vetoed by the US, making Iraq deeply skeptical of US foreign policy aims in the region, combined with the reliance of the US on Middle Eastern energy reserves. In early July 1990, Iraq complained about Kuwait's behavior, such as not respecting their quota, and openly threatened to take military action. On

4025-646: The Kuwait Air Force was around 2,200 Kuwaiti personnel, with 80 fixed-wing aircraft and 40 helicopters. In spite of Iraqi saber rattling , Kuwait did not mobilize its force; the army had been stood-down on 19 July, and during the Iraqi invasion many Kuwaiti military personnel were on leave. By 1988, at the end of the Iran–Iraq war, the Iraqi Army was the world's fourth largest army, consisting of 955,000 standing soldiers and 650,000 paramilitary forces in

4140-614: The Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-41-G as a payload specialist. After two other Shuttle flights, Garneau entered politics and won a seat to the Parliament of Canada in 2008. Garneau was appointed as Minister of Transport by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on November 4, 2015. Canadian astronaut Julie Payette flew on STS-96 in 1999 and STS-127 in 2009 as a mission specialist. In 2017 she became

4255-859: The State Duma . Valentina Tereshkova , the first woman in space, entered politics in the days of the Soviet Union , serving in parliament and as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Svetlana Savitskaya , the second woman in space, was elected to the State Duma in 1996 and currently serves as Deputy Chair of the Committee on Defense, in addition to being a member of the Commission on Safety, Defense, and

4370-572: The United Kingdom , and Egypt as the largest lead-up contributors, in that order. United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 , adopted on 29 November 1990, gave Iraq an ultimatum, expiring on 15 January 1991, to implement Resolution 660 and withdraw from Kuwait, with member-states empowered to use "all necessary means" to force Iraq's compliance. Initial efforts to dislodge the Iraqis from Kuwait began with aerial and naval bombardment of Iraq on 17 January, which continued for five weeks. As

4485-417: The "space station". Kelly traveled over 5.28 million miles and orbited the Earth 202 times over 12 days and 18+ hours. STS-124 Discovery was Kelly's first mission as commander. A month before liftoff, he discussed what being a shuttle commander entailed and how it was different from his previous missions: My first two flights I was the pilot. Being the commander is different in that you're responsible for

4600-646: The "undesirable precedent in astronauts' capitalizing on their fame to enter political roles", and some grumbling that Glenn did not follow the standard "step-by-step progression up the political ladder" by "aspiring immediately for the Senate". Many in Congress believed that Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy had promoted Glenn's electoral bid to increase Democrats' chances in Ohio in the 1964 United States presidential election . Kennedy stated that he had had "a number of conversations with John Glenn over his future". At

4715-482: The 10 crew members to greet one another. The Expedition 3 crew officially ended their 117-day residency on board the ISS on December 8 as their custom Soyuz seat-liners were transferred to Endeavour for the return trip home. The transfer of the Expedition 4 seat-liners to the Soyuz return vehicle attached to the station marked the official exchange of crews. Kelly and Mission Specialist Linda Godwin used

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4830-637: The 23rd, the CIA reported that Iraq had moved 30,000 troops to the Iraq-Kuwait border, and the US naval fleet in the Persian Gulf was placed on alert. Saddam believed an anti-Iraq conspiracy was developing – Kuwait had begun talks with Iran, and Iraq's rival Syria had arranged a visit to Egypt. On 15 July 1990, Saddam's government laid out its combined objections to the Arab League , including that policy moves were costing Iraq $ 1 billion

4945-640: The 29th Governor General of Canada , the viceregal representative of the King in Canada and a nonpartisan position within Canadian governance. Three individuals have made the journey to space and were later elected to become a Member of the European Parliament . Cosmonaut Vladimír Remek , who flew into space on Soyuz 28 in 1978 from Czechoslovakia as the first non-American or non-Soviet in space,

5060-735: The Emir's youngest brother. Within 12 hours, most resistance had ended within Kuwait, and the royal family had fled, allowing Iraq to control most of Kuwait. After two days of intense combat, most of the Kuwaiti military were either overrun by the Iraqi Republican Guard , or had escaped to Saudi Arabia. The Emir and key ministers fled south along the highway for refuge in Saudi Arabia. Iraqi ground forces consolidated their control of Kuwait City, then headed south and redeployed along

5175-747: The Fight Against Crime in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia . Yelena Kondakova served in the Duma as a member of Fatherland – All Russia and later United Russia . She left United Russia in 2011 as a result of her dissatisfaction with results of internal party elections. Most recently, Yelena Serova , the first female Russian cosmonaut to visit the International Space Station ,

5290-713: The Gulf War, Kelly received his master's degree and then attended U.S. Naval Test Pilot School from 1993 to 1994. As a naval aviator and test pilot, he has logged over 5,000 hours in more than 50 different aircraft and trapped over 375 carrier landings. During his Navy career, Kelly received two Defense Superior Service Medals ; one Legion of Merit ; two Distinguished Flying Crosses ; four Air Medals (two individual/two strike flight) with Combat "V"; two Navy Commendation Medals , (one with combat "V"); one Navy Achievement Medal ; two Southwest Asia Service Medals ; one Navy Expeditionary Medal ; two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons ;

5405-475: The ISS. Kibo is Japanese for "hope". The laboratory is Japan's primary contribution to the ISS. Just before liftoff, Kelly said, "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." During the launch, Launch Pad 39A sustained substantial damage, more than had been seen on any previous launch. After liftoff, inspectors discovered that bricks and mortar from

5520-426: The Iraqi dinar, thereby lowering the Kuwaiti currency to one-twelfth of its original value. In response, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah ruled the banknotes as invalid and refused to reimburse stolen notes, which became worthless because of a UN embargo. After the conflict ended, many of the stolen banknotes made their way back into circulation. The stolen banknotes are a collectible for numismatists . Kuwaitis founded

5635-517: The Iraqi military struggled against the coalition attacks, Iraq fired missiles at Israel to provoke an Israeli military response, with the expectation that such a response would lead to the withdrawal of several Muslim-majority countries from the coalition. The provocation was unsuccessful; Israel did not retaliate and Iraq continued to remain at odds with most Muslim-majority countries. Iraqi missile barrages against coalition targets in Saudi Arabia were also largely unsuccessful, and on 24 February 1991,

5750-629: The Iraqi point of view that the measures taken by the UAE and Kuwait is, in the final analysis, parallel to military aggression against Iraq, then it would be reasonable for me to be concerned. Saddam stated that he would attempt last-ditch negotiations with the Kuwaitis but Iraq "would not accept death." According to Glaspie's own account, she stated in reference to the precise border between Kuwait and Iraq, "... that she had served in Kuwait 20 years before; 'then, as now, we took no position on these Arab affairs'." Glaspie similarly believed that war

5865-592: The Jeddah talks was an Iraqi demand for $ 10 billion to cover the lost revenues from Rumaila; Kuwait offered $ 500 million. The Iraqi response was to immediately order an invasion, which started on 2 August 1990 with the bombing of Kuwait's capital, Kuwait City . Before the invasion, the Kuwaiti military was believed to have numbered 16,000 men, arranged into three armored, one mechanized infantry and one under-strength artillery brigade. The pre-war strength of

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5980-516: The Kuwaiti emir Al Sabah and the Iraqi foreign minister – during which the emir stated his intention to turn "every Iraqi woman into a $ 10 prostitute" by bankrupting the country – was a decisive factor in triggering the Iraqi invasion. On the 25th, Saddam met with April Glaspie , the US Ambassador to Iraq , in Baghdad. The Iraqi leader attacked American policy with regards to Kuwait and

6095-491: The NASA Astronaut Office at the time, said, "we are confident in his ability to successfully lead this mission, and I know I speak for all of NASA in saying 'welcome back.'" At 4 pm PDT on May 22, 2011, the European Space Agency and Italian Space Agency arranged for a call to Endeavour by Pope Benedict XVI . During his call—prompted by the discovery of a gash in the Shuttle's fuselage—Benedict extended his blessing to Giffords, who had undergone skull surgery earlier in

6210-446: The Ohio Senate primary to Howard Metzenbaum . In 1974, Glenn won election to the Senate in a special election to fill the seat of William B. Saxbe . In 1984, Glenn sought the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. He withdrew from the race in March 1984, after winning only two delegates and finishing in sixth place. Glenn returned to space on October 29, 1998, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery ( STS-95 ) while still

6325-470: The Palestinian issue. On 23 August, Saddam appeared on state television with Western hostages to whom he had refused exit visas. In the video, he asks a young British boy, Stuart Lockwood, whether he is getting his milk, and goes on to say, through his interpreter, "We hope your presence as guests here will not be for too long. Your presence here, and in other places, is meant to prevent the scourge of war." Another Iraqi proposal communicated in August 1990

6440-408: The Persian Gulf in response to these threats. Discussions in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia, mediated on the Arab League's behalf by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak , were held on 31 July and led Mubarak to believe that a peaceful course could be established. During Saddam Hussein's 2003–2004 interrogation following his capture he claimed that in addition to economic disputes, an insulting exchange between

6555-474: The Popular Army. According to John Childs and André Corvisier, a low estimate shows the Iraqi Army capable of fielding 4,500 tanks, 484 combat aircraft and 232 combat helicopters. According to Michael Knights, a high estimate shows the Iraqi Army capable of fielding one million troops and 850,000 reservists, 5,500 tanks, 3,000 artillery pieces, 700 combat aircraft and helicopters; it held 53 divisions, 20 special-forces brigades, and several regional militias, and had

6670-413: The Russian Soyuz TMA-8 mission to the International Space Station in 2006. Under Jair Bolsonaro 's Presidency, Pontes was announced as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. In the 2022 São Paulo state elections Marcos Pontes was elected for the Brazilian Senate with 10.7 million votes (49.68%). Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space, when he flew in 1984 on

6785-406: The Saudi border. After the decisive Iraqi victory, Saddam initially installed a puppet regime known as the " Provisional Government of Free Kuwait " before installing his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid as Kuwait's governor on 8 August. After the invasion, the Iraqi military looted over $ 1 billion in banknotes from Kuwait's Central Bank. At the same time, Saddam Hussein made the Kuwaiti dinar equal to

6900-497: The Senate in January 2025 will make Kelly the senior senator from Arizona. He was reportedly one of the three leading contenders for the Democratic vice presidential nomination in the 2024 U.S. presidential election , along with Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota governor Tim Walz . Presidential nominee Kamala Harris chose Walz. Mark Kelly and identical twin brother, Scott Kelly , are sons of Richard and Patricia (née McAvoy) Kelly, two retired police officers. Kelly

7015-477: The U.S. Navy effective October 1. He cited Giffords's needs during her recovery as a reason for his retirement. He announced his retirement on his Facebook page, writing: "Words cannot convey my deep gratitude for the opportunities I have been given to serve our great nation. From the day I entered the United States Merchant Marine Academy in the summer of 1982 to the moment I landed the Space Shuttle Endeavour three weeks ago, it has been my privilege to advance

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7130-478: The U.S. and in China on behalf of Shaklee , a multi-level marketing distributor of nutritional supplements. Separately, Kelly has also delivered paid speeches to bank Goldman Sachs , the Mortgage Bankers Association , and drug company AmerisourceBergen . In January 2013, weeks after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting , Kelly and Giffords started a nonprofit political action committee, Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS). The organization's mission

7245-483: The UAE: So what can it mean when America says it will now protect its friends? It can only mean prejudice against Iraq. This stance plus maneuvers and statements which have been made has encouraged the UAE and Kuwait to disregard Iraqi rights ... If you use pressure, we will deploy pressure and force. We know that you can harm us although we do not threaten you. But we too can harm you. Everyone can cause harm according to their ability and their size. We cannot come all

7360-422: The United States 'satisfactory to both nations' national security interests,' develop a joint plan 'to alleviate Iraq's economical and financial problems' and 'jointly work on the stability of the gulf.'" On 29 November 1990, the Security Council passed Resolution 678 , which gave Iraq until 15 January 1991 to withdraw from Kuwait, and empowered states to use "all necessary means" to force Iraq out of Kuwait after

7475-399: The United States had little capability to defend the region. Furthermore, it was determined that a prolonged war in the region would induce much higher oil prices and threaten the fragile recovery of the world economy, which was just beginning to gain momentum. On 22 May 1984, President Reagan was briefed on the project conclusions in the Oval Office by William Flynn Martin who had served as

7590-440: The adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 661 . British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and U.S. president George H. W. Bush deployed troops and equipment into Saudi Arabia and urged other countries to send their own forces. Many countries joined the American-led coalition forming the largest military alliance since World War II . The bulk of the coalition's military power was from the United States , with Saudi Arabia ,

7705-437: The coalition launched a major ground assault into Iraqi-occupied Kuwait. The offensive was a decisive victory for the coalition, who liberated Kuwait and promptly began to advance past the Iraq–Kuwait border into Iraqi territory. A hundred hours after the beginning of the ground campaign, the coalition ceased its advance into Iraq and declared a ceasefire. Aerial and ground combat was confined to Iraq, Kuwait, and areas straddling

7820-409: The coalition states used various names for their operations and the war's operational phases. These are sometimes incorrectly used as the conflict's overall name, especially the US Desert Storm : The US divided the conflict into three major campaigns: Throughout the Cold War , Iraq had been an ally of the Soviet Union , and there was a history of friction between Iraq and the United States. The US

7935-716: The country for economic support  – opposed military intervention from non-Arab states. Separately, Sudan, also an Arab League member, aligned itself with Saddam. On 6 August, Resolution 661 placed economic sanctions on Iraq. Resolution 665 followed soon after, which authorized a naval blockade to enforce the sanctions. It said the "use of measures commensurate to the specific circumstances as may be necessary ... to halt all inward and outward maritime shipping in order to inspect and verify their cargoes and destinations and to ensure strict implementation of resolution 661." The US administration had at first been indecisive with an "undertone ... of resignation to

8050-417: The country within two days. The invasion was primarily over disputes regarding Kuwait's alleged slant drilling in Iraq's Rumaila oil field , as well as to cancel Iraq's large debt to Kuwait from the recently ended Iran-Iraq War . After Iraq briefly occupied Kuwait under a rump puppet government known as the Republic of Kuwait , it split Kuwait's sovereign territory into the Saddamiyat al-Mitla' District in

8165-402: The first launch attempt of STS-134 was scrubbed. Giffords traveled to Florida on her first trip since moving from Tucson to Houston in January after an attempted assassination. Her appearance at Kennedy Space Center gave the launch a high profile, "one of the most anticipated in years," according to The New York Times . President Barack Obama visited the Kennedy Space Center on April 29 on

8280-683: The head of the NSC staff that organized the study. (The full declassified presentation can be seen here: ) The conclusions were threefold: first, oil stocks needed to be increased among members of the International Energy Agency and, if necessary, released early if the oil market was disrupted; second, the United States needed to beef up the security of friendly Arab states in the region; and third, an embargo should be placed on sales of military equipment to Iran and Iraq. The plan

8395-501: The hundreds of thousands. Within President Ronald Reagan 's National Security Council concern was growing that the war could spread beyond the boundaries of the two belligerents. A National Security Planning Group meeting was formed, chaired by then Vice President George H. W. Bush , to review US options. It was determined that the conflict would likely spread into Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, but that

8510-463: The ideals that define the United States of America." In 2011, Kelly and Giffords coauthored Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience . The book provides biographical information on the couple and describes in detail the assassination attempt on Giffords and her initial recovery. Written in Kelly's voice, it includes a short note by Giffords at the end. Kelly's second book, Mousetronaut: Based on

8625-503: The inspection and repair of the thermal protection system that is designed to increase the shuttles' safety. It also delivered more supplies and cargo for future ISS expansion. After the Columbia accident, NASA decided that two test flights would be required and that activities originally assigned to STS-114 would be divided into two missions because of the addition of post- Columbia safety tests. Gabby Giffords, Kelly's girlfriend at

8740-667: The invasion and demanding a withdrawal of Iraqi troops. On 3 August 1990, the Arab League passed its own resolution, which called for a solution to the conflict from within the league, and warned against outside intervention. Iraq and Libya were the only two Arab League states that opposed the resolution for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait; the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) opposed it as well. The Arab states of Yemen and Jordan – a Western ally which bordered Iraq and relied on

8855-505: The invasion and even adaptation to it as a fait accompli" until the UK's prime minister Margaret Thatcher played a powerful role, reminding the President that appeasement in the 1930s had led to war, that Saddam would have the whole Gulf at his mercy along with 65 percent of the world's oil supply, and famously urging President Bush "not to go wobbly". Once persuaded, US officials insisted on

8970-502: The launch pad's base had been thrown as far as the perimeter fence, a distance of 1,500 feet (457 m). Kelly and his crew delivered the pressurized module for Kibo to the ISS. The module is the Kibo laboratory's largest component and the station's largest habitable module. Discovery also delivered Kibo's Remote Manipulator System. It also delivered a replacement part for the station's toilet . The ISS's toilet had been malfunctioning for

9085-533: The mentally ill easy access to guns". On March 31, 2013, Kelly said, "any bill that does not include a universal background check is a mistake. It's the most common-sense thing we can do to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from having access to weapons." In 2016, ARS merged with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to become Giffords , which besides background checks advocates for red flag laws . On February 12, 2019, Kelly announced that he would run as

9200-497: The north, which was absorbed into Iraq's existing Basra Governorate , and the Kuwait Governorate in the south, which became Iraq's 19th governorate. The invasion of Kuwait was met with immediate international condemnation, including the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 660 , which demanded Iraq's immediate withdrawal from Kuwait, and the imposition of comprehensive international sanctions against Iraq with

9315-520: The only siblings to have both traveled into orbit. Kelly's first trip into space was as pilot of STS-108. After several delays, Endeavour lifted off on December 5, 2001, on the final Shuttle mission of 2001. STS-108 Endeavour visited the ISS, delivering over three tons of equipment, supplies, and a fresh crew to the orbiting outpost. The hatches were opened between Endeavour and the ISS Destiny Laboratory on December 7, enabling

9430-558: The opportunity to rebuild your country. But we have no opinion on the Arab-Arab conflicts, like your border disagreement with Kuwait ... Frankly, we can only see that you have deployed massive troops in the south. Normally that would not be any of our business. But when this happens in the context of what you said on your national day, then when we read the details in the two letters of the Foreign Minister, then when we see

9545-430: The overall mission. ... 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 and 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. The mission was the second of three shuttle missions to carry components of Japan's Kibo laboratory to

9660-426: The race for Kelly on November 4, 2020. His election marks the first time since 1953 that Arizona has had two Democratic senators. As the election was a special election, Kelly took office during the 116th Congress , shortly after Arizona certified its election results on November 30, unlike other senators and representatives elected in 2020, who took office at the opening of the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021. Kelly

9775-467: The region. Iraq also accused Kuwait of exceeding its OPEC quotas for oil production. In order for the cartel to maintain its desired price of $ 18 per barrel, discipline was required. The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait were consistently overproducing; the latter at least in part to repair losses caused by Iranian attacks in the Iran–Iraq War and to pay for the losses of an economic scandal. The result

9890-459: The same time, the Democratic Party of Oklahoma reportedly discussed fellow Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper as a candidate for the Senate . In an editorial shortly after the announcement, The Blade stated that Glenn "presumes too much on his popularity as a spaceman". A slip and fall in a bathtub in March 1964 ultimately led to Glenn's withdrawal from the race. Glenn ran again in 1970, losing

10005-621: The second "Return to Flight" mission after 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 . In 2006, Kelly discussed the risks aboard the Space Shuttle: The Space Shuttle's a very complex machine. It's got a lot of moving parts that move and operate at pretty much the limit of what we've been able to engineer. Spaceflight

10120-472: The second sitting member of Congress to travel into space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia ' s STS-61-C mission, also as a payload specialist. In 2012, shuttle astronaut José M. Hernández ran for Congress in California's 10th District, he won the Democratic nomination, but lost to incumbent Jeff Denham . On February 12, 2019, four-time shuttle astronaut Mark Kelly announced that he was running in

10235-498: The shuttle's robotic arm to lift the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module from the shuttle payload bay and attach it to a berth on the station's Unity node. The crews began unloading supplies the same day. Mission managers extended Endeavour's flight duration to 12 days to allow the crew to assist with additional maintenance tasks on the station, including work on a treadmill and replacing

10350-466: The situation in Kuwait." He also called for a replacement of US troops that mobilized in Saudi Arabia in response to Kuwait's invasion with "an Arab force", as long as that force did not involve Egypt. Additionally, he requested an "immediate freeze of all boycott and siege decisions" and a general normalization of relations with Iraq. From the beginning of the crisis, President Bush was strongly opposed to any "linkage" between Iraq's occupation of Kuwait and

10465-517: The space station here thinks it's worthwhile. The mission's main purposes were to test new safety and repair techniques introduced after the Columbia disaster and to deliver supplies, equipment, and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter from Germany to the ISS. Reiter's transfer returned the ISS to a three-member staffing level. During the STS-121 mission to the ISS, the crew of Discovery continued to test new equipment and procedures for

10580-475: The station during his mission. The potential rendezvous in space of the Kelly brothers would have been a first meeting of blood relatives in space. The delay of STS-134's launch ended that possibility. After his wife's shooting, Kelly's status was unclear, but NASA announced on February 4, 2011, that he would remain commander of the mission. The remarkable progress his wife was making in her recovery helped Kelly decide to return to training. Peggy Whitson , chief of

10695-409: The time the ceasefire with Iran was signed in August 1988, Iraq was heavily debt-ridden and tensions within society were rising. Most of its debt was owed to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Iraq's debts to Kuwait amounted to $ 14 billion. Iraq pressured both nations to forgive the debts, but they refused. The Iraq–Kuwait border dispute involved Iraqi claims to Kuwaiti territory. Kuwait had been

10810-531: The time, picked one of the mission's wake-up songs, U2 's " Beautiful Day ". During the U2 360° Tour , Kelly often appeared on screen from the International Space Station during the song's introduction, greeting the city the band was playing in and asking the crowd to "tell my wife I love her very much, she knows"—a reference to David Bowie 's " Space Oddity "; the tour's staging was often called

10925-523: The vice president and cabinet to declare the president unable to serve and transfer presidential power to the vice president. Kelly voted to convict in Trump's second impeachment trial , along with 56 other senators. Astronaut-politician Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes is the first South American and Lusophone to go into space as part of the Missão Centenário . He participated in

11040-735: The war, by unemployed Iraqis, among them demobilized soldiers. These events drew little notice outside the Arab world because of fast-moving events directly related to the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. However, the US did begin to condemn Iraq's human rights record, including the well-known use of torture. The UK also condemned the execution of Farzad Bazoft , a journalist working for the British newspaper The Observer . Following Saddam's declaration that "binary chemical weapons" would be used on Israel if it used military force against Iraq, Washington halted part of its funding. A UN mission to

11155-458: The war. This move was supported by the US, who believed that Iraqi ties with pro-Western Gulf states would help bring and maintain Iraq inside the US' sphere of influence. In 1989, it appeared that Saudi–Iraqi relations , strong during the war, would be maintained. A pact of non-interference and non-aggression was signed between the countries, followed by a Kuwaiti-Iraqi deal for Iraq to supply Kuwait with water for drinking and irrigation, although

11270-399: The way to you in the United States, but individual Arabs may reach you ... We do not place America among the enemies. We place it where we want our friends to be and we try to be friends. But repeated American statements last year made it apparent that America did not regard us as friends. Glaspie replied: I know you need funds. We understand that and our opinion is that you should have

11385-734: The week. The event marked the first time a pope spoke to astronauts during a mission. On June 24, 2011, a recorded message by Kelly from the ISS wished his wife love using song lyrics from David Bowie 's " Space Oddity " and introduced U2 's song " Beautiful Day " on the first night of the Glastonbury festival in England. A similar message from Kelly aboard the ISS was played during U2's 360° Tour concert stop at various locations. It said: "I'm looking forward to coming home. Tell my wife I love her very much. She knows." On June 21, 2011, Kelly announced that he would leave NASA's astronaut corps and

11500-431: Was a slump in the oil price – as low as $ 10 per barrel ($ 63/m ) – with a resulting loss of $ 7 billion a year to Iraq, equal to its 1989 balance of payments deficit. Resulting revenues struggled to support the government's basic costs, let alone repair Iraq's damaged infrastructure. Jordan and Iraq both looked for more discipline, with little success. The Iraqi government described it as

11615-685: Was an armed conflict between Iraq and a 42-country coalition led by the United States . The coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: Operation Desert Shield , which marked the military buildup from August 1990 to January 1991; and Operation Desert Storm , which began with the aerial bombing campaign against Iraq on 17 January 1991 and came to a close with the American-led liberation of Kuwait on 28 February 1991. On 2 August 1990, Iraq, governed by Saddam Hussein , invaded neighboring Kuwait and fully occupied

11730-621: Was approved by President Reagan and later affirmed by the G7 leaders headed by the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher , in the London Summit of 1984 . The plan was implemented and became the basis for US preparedness to respond to the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in 1991. Within hours of the invasion, Kuwait and US delegations requested a meeting of the UN Security Council , which passed Resolution 660 , condemning

11845-531: Was concerned with Iraq's position on Israeli– Palestinian politics. The US also disliked Iraqi support for Palestinian militant groups, which led to Iraq's inclusion on the developing US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism in December 1979. The US remained officially neutral after Iraq's invasion of Iran in 1980, which became the Iran–Iraq War, although it provided resources, political support, and some "non-military" aircraft to Iraq. In March 1982, Iran began

11960-599: Was conducted by commandos deployed by helicopters and boats to attack the city from the sea, while other divisions seized the airports and two airbases . The Iraqis attacked the Dasman Palace , the Royal Residence of Kuwait's Emir , Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah , which was defended by the Emiri Guard supported with M-84 tanks. In the process, the Iraqis killed Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ,

12075-704: Was delivered to US National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft by an unidentified Iraqi official. The official communicated to the White House that Iraq would "withdraw from Kuwait and allow foreigners to leave" provided that the UN lifted sanctions, allowed "guaranteed access to the Persian Gulf through the Kuwaiti islands of Bubiyan and Warbah", and allowed Iraq to "gain full control of the Rumaila oil field that extends slightly into Kuwaiti territory". The proposal also "include[d] offers to negotiate an oil agreement with

12190-558: Was elected as an MEP in 2004 from the Czech Republic as an independent candidate for the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia , and was re-elected in 2009, with Deutsche Welle describing how "his huge communist-era fame contributed to his success at the ballot box". Italian astronaut Franco Malerba flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-46 on Atlantis and became the first Italian to travel to space in 1992, and

12305-534: Was elected in June 1994 to the European Parliament, where he sits with the European People's Party . Also another Italian astronaut, Umberto Guidoni , flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-75 on Columbia and became the first European to visit the International Space Station when he was part of STS-100 aboard Endeavour in 2001, and was elected in June 2004 to the European Parliament, where he sits with

12420-567: Was elected to serve in the Duma in 2016. In the United States , some major political leaders have attempted to draw astronauts into the political sphere. John Glenn , one of the Mercury Seven selected in 1959 by NASA who became the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth when he flew the Mercury-Atlas 6 named Friendship 7 for three Earth orbits on February 20, 1962, was the first astronaut elected to Congress when he won

12535-534: Was involved in the development of the new craft, as well as its procedures and operations. Chinese company Tencent invested millions into World View between 2013 and 2016. Kelly left World View in 2019, before he started his Senate campaign; as of 2021 he held over $ 100,000 of World View stocks through a blind trust. On March 28, 2012, SpaceX announced that Kelly would be part of an independent safety advisory panel composed of leading human spaceflight safety experts. From 2011 to 2016, Kelly delivered paid speeches in

12650-550: Was named Umm al-Ma'arik ("mother of all battles") by Iraqi officials. After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Gulf War of 1990–1991 is often known as the " First Iraq War ". The following names have been used to describe the conflict itself: Gulf War and Persian Gulf War are the most common terms for the conflict used within western countries , though it may also be called the First Gulf War (to distinguish it from

12765-490: Was not imminent. On 26 July 1990, only a few days before the Iraqi invasion, OPEC officials said that Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates had agreed to a proposal to limit their oil output to 1.5 million barrels (240,000 m ) per day, "down from the nearly 2 million barrels a day they had each been pumping," thus potentially settling differences over oil policy between Kuwait and Iraq. The result of

12880-895: Was reelected in the 2022 Senate election , securing a full six-year term. In 2024, after President Joe Biden declined to seek re-election, there was heavy speculation that presumptive-nominee Kamala Harris was considering Kelly as her running mate. Gulf War Coalition: 292 killed (147 killed by enemy action, 145 non-hostile deaths) 776 wounded (467 wounded in action) 31 tanks destroyed/disabled 28 Bradley IFVs destroyed/damaged 1 M113 APC destroyed 2 British Warrior APCs destroyed 1 artillery piece destroyed 75 aircraft destroyed Kuwait: 420 killed 12,000 captured ≈200 tanks destroyed/captured 850+ other armored vehicles destroyed/captured 57 aircraft lost 8 aircraft captured (Mirage F1s) Coalition intervention Naval operations Air campaign Liberation of Kuwait Post-ceasefire The Gulf War

12995-443: Was shot and nearly killed in an assassination attempt in Arizona. Kelly retired from the Navy and NASA that October. In 2013, Kelly and Giffords founded a nonprofit political action committee, Americans for Responsible Solutions (later merged into Giffords ), which campaigned for gun control measures like universal background checks . On February 12, 2019, Kelly announced his candidacy for Arizona's Class 3 U.S. Senate seat in

13110-458: Was sworn in at noon on December 2. Kelly is the fourth retired astronaut to be elected to Congress, after John Glenn , Harrison Schmitt , and Jack Swigert . Kelly won reelection in the November 2022 general election, defeating Republican challenger Blake Masters . On December 2, 2020, Kelly cast his first Senate vote, a "no" vote on the nomination of Kathryn C. Davis to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims . On December 9, Kelly voted "no" on

13225-572: Was to help them succeed in the war against Iran." With Iraq's newfound success in the war, and the Iranian rebuff of a peace offer in July, arms sales to Iraq reached a record spike in 1982. When Iraqi President Saddam Hussein expelled Abu Nidal to Syria at the US's request in November 1983, the Reagan administration sent Donald Rumsfeld to meet Saddam as a special envoy and to cultivate ties. By

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