Scott Kelly is an astronaut.
He flies to space. He lived on a big station in the sky. He stayed there for a whole year. This helps us learn about our bodies.
Do you want to go to space?
Scott Kelly is a brave astronaut.
He flew to space four times. He even led a big team in the sky.
He worked on a station in space. This station is a lab for science.
He stayed there for one full year.
Scott stayed in space to help us. He wanted to see how space affects the body. This helps us learn about health.
His brother Mark is also an astronaut. They are twins.
They were the first twins to work for NASA.
Scott worked hard to reach the stars. He is a very special explorer.
Scott Kelly is a retired American astronaut.
He also served as a pilot in the Navy. He flew many different kinds of planes. He even flew jets for 25 years.
Scott went to space four times. His first trip was in 1999. He helped fix the Hubble Space Telescope. Later, he led a crew on the International Space Station. This station is a big lab in space.
In 2015, Scott went on a very special mission. He stayed in space for one whole year. He went with a Russian cosmonaut named Mikhail Kornienko.
They wanted to study how space affects the human body. They looked at how fluids move in the body. They also studied how eyesight changes in space. This helps us learn how to stay healthy on long trips.
Scott has an identical twin brother named Mark. Mark is also a retired astronaut. They were the first twins ever chosen by NASA. Scott retired from NASA in 2016.
Scott Joseph Kelly is a retired American astronaut and engineer.
He also served as a naval aviator for many years. This means he was a pilot in the United States Navy. He spent 25 years serving in the Navy. During that time, he flew over 8,000 hours. He flew more than 40 different kinds of aircraft. He also completed over 250 carrier landings.
Scott's journey to space happened in several steps. His first flight was in December 1999. He was a pilot on the Space Shuttle Discovery. This mission helped fix the Hubble Space Telescope. Later, in August 2007, he commanded the shuttle Endeavour. This mission helped add new parts to the International Space Station (ISS). He also served as the commander of the ISS during Expedition 26.
Scott learned a lot before he became an astronaut. He was born in Orange, New Jersey, in 1964. He grew up in West Orange with his twin brother, Mark.
Scott went to the State University of New York Maritime College. He earned a degree in electrical engineering there in 1987. He later earned a master's degree from the University of Tennessee. He even worked as an emergency medical technician in his youth.
One of his most famous missions was a year-long trip.
In March 2015, he launched on a Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft. He went to the ISS with a Russian cosmonaut named Mikhail Kornienko. They stayed in space for a very long time. They wanted to see how spaceflight affects the human body. They studied how fluids move inside the body. They also looked at how eyesight changes in microgravity.
Space travel is a lot like other types of training. Before going to space, Scott used underwater labs. He spent time in an underwater lab called Aquarius. This helped him practice working in extreme environments. This is similar to how astronauts practice for the hard jobs in space. Scott and his brother Mark were also very special. They were the first relatives ever chosen to be astronauts.
Scott Joseph Kelly is a retired American engineer, naval aviator, and astronaut.
He is widely recognized for his extensive career in both the United States Navy and NASA. Kelly's work has contributed significantly to our understanding of spaceflight and orbital operations. His career includes commanding the International Space Station (ISS) during several expeditions. He also participated in a landmark year-long mission to study human health in space.
His brother, Mark Kelly, is also a retired astronaut and a U.S. senator. Together, the Kelly brothers were the first relatives ever selected as NASA astronauts.
Before reaching space, Kelly built a strong foundation in engineering and aviation. He was born on February 21, 1964, in Orange, New Jersey. He attended the State University of New York Maritime College. There, he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical engineering in 1987. He later obtained a Master of Science degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee.
His early interest in flight was inspired by reading the book "The Right Stuff." This passion led him to join the Navy, where he became a highly skilled pilot. He eventually graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1994.
Kelly's naval career lasted for 25 years before he retired in 2012. As a naval aviator, he flew more than 40 different types of aircraft. He recorded over 8,000 flight hours and completed more than 250 carrier landings.
He flew powerful jets like the F-14 Tomcat and the A-4 Skyhawk. During his time at the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate, he worked on important safety systems. He helped develop a digital flight control system for the F-14. This technology was designed to improve aircraft stability and safety. His work in testing and investigation helped advance naval aviation technology.
In 1996, Kelly was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA. He began intensive training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
His first mission was STS-103 in December 1999. As a pilot on the Space Shuttle Discovery, he helped service the Hubble Space Telescope. This mission involved three extravehicular activities, or EVAs, to replace parts. An EVA is a spacewalk where astronauts work outside the spacecraft. Later, in August 2007, he commanded the STS-118 mission aboard the shuttle Endeavour. This mission added essential components like a truss segment to the ISS.
Kelly's leadership roles on the ISS were extensive and varied. He arrived at the station on October 9, 2010, aboard the Soyuz TMA-01M. He served as a flight engineer before becoming the station commander for Expedition 26.
During his time on the station, he supported many scientific experiments. These included research on water-recycling machines and how plants grow in microgravity. Microgravity is the condition of near weightlessness experienced in orbit. He also worked in extreme environments through the NEEMO missions. These missions used underwater laboratories like Aquarius to simulate space conditions.
One of Kelly's most significant achievements was his year-long mission in space.
In March 2015, he launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft. He traveled to the ISS with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. The primary goal was to study the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. They investigated how fluids shift within the body due to weightlessness. They also studied how microgravity affects eyesight.
This research is vital for planning future long-distance space travel. The mission concluded on March 1, 2016, after a full year in orbit.
Kelly's career connects many different fields of science and service. His background in electrical engineering aided his work with spacecraft systems. His naval training provided the discipline required for complex orbital maneuvers. His research on the ISS provides data for doctors and biologists. This data helps scientists understand how to keep humans healthy during deep space exploration.
Through his many roles, Kelly has helped bridge the gap between Earth and the stars.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (28)
+ 16 more
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.