Mark Kelly Astronaut Husband Of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

Mark Kelly, Astronaut and Husband Of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Boards Private Jet To Tucson After Shooting

Mark Kelly, husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is rushing to his wife’s side after Giffords was shot in the head at point blank range today during a rally outside a Safeway supermarket in Arizona. Kelly has flown three shuttle missions and is the Commander of Space Shuttle Mission STS-134, the Endeavour mission scheduled to launch April 1, 2011.

He and his twin brother Scott were both selected to be pilots by NASA in 1996, and joined the astronaut corps later that year. Scott is currently stationed on the International Space Station.

Married a little over four years, the couple met in China while serving as young leaders selected by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. At the time, Kelly was married with two children and Giffords was seeing someone else. By the time they met up again the following year, Kelly had divorced and the two began a friendship that included regular long distance phone calls and email exchanges.

Still just a friendship at that point, Giffords even offered Kelly dating advice. Through the years, they kept in touch. In 2005, Kelly began surprising Giffords on her campaign stops and then Giffords attended the launching of Kelly’s shuttle mission on Discovery in 2006. They began dating and the couple finally married in December of 2007.

The NASA astronaut is reported to have taken restaurateur Tilman Fertitta’s private jet with his daughters and mother to the Tucson hospital where Giffords is undergoing surgery. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, has been taken in to custody for the shooting that also killed six people, including federal judge John Roll and a nine-year-old girl.

Gabrielle Giffords Married To Astronaut Mark Kelly

Representative Gabrielle Giffords, the congresswoman who was shot earlier today at a public event in Tucson Arizona, is married to astronaut Mark Kelly.

Kelly, 56, has flown three shuttle missions and was scheduled to be the commander of the shuttle program’s final planned mission later this year. His twin brother and fellow astronaut Scott Kelly is currently stationed on the International Space Station.

There are varying accounts on Giffords’ condition, but a hospital spokesman says the Democrat is in critical condition. An aide to the Democrat was killed. An unknown number of others were injured, officials said, including additional aides to the lawmaker.

Here Is Rep. Gabrielle Giffords NYT Vows Column From 2007 Marriage To Astronaut Mark Kelly

Rep. Gabreille Giffords, the congresswoman shot at point blank range earlier today at a public event in Tuscon Arizona is married to astronaut Mark Kelly, whose twin brother, Scott J. Kelly, is also an astronaut and is reportedly currently in space.

Here is their NYT Vows column from their wedding in 2007.

“FRANK CAPRA would have had a field day with the life of Gabrielle Giffords,” Robert B. Reich mused as guests began to gather for the wedding on Nov. 10 of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and Cmdr. Mark E. Kelly.

The bride, an avid recycler, borrowed the gown.

Mr. Reich, the former Labor secretary, saw parallels in the breezy down-home sincerity of the films Capra directed and the lives of Ms. Giffords, 38, a Democratic congresswoman from her home state of Arizona, and Mr. Kelly, 43, a NASA astronaut and Navy pilot from New Jersey.

So after the ceremony, Mr. Reich was inspired to toast their spirit: “To a bride who moves at a velocity that exceeds that of anyone else in Washington, and a groom who moves at a velocity that exceeds 17,000 miles per hour.”