Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands with Captain Mark Kelly during his retirement ceremony in the Secretary of War Suite of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 6, 2011. Kelly was presented the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Flying Cross medals by the Vice President and Kelly's wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, for his 25 years of service with the Navy and NASA. Official White House Photo by David Lienemann
HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Capt. Mark Kelly has announced his plans to retire from the agency on Oct. 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."
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.
For Kelly's complete biography, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kellyme.html.
To follow Kelly on Twitter and Facebook, visit http://www.twitter.com/ShuttleCDRKelly and http://www.facebook.com/Capt.MarkKelly.
Expedition 26 Commander Scott Kelly wears a blue wrist band that has a peace symbol, a heart and the word 'Gabby' to show his support for his sister-in-law U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, as he rested onboard a Russian Search and Rescue helicopter shortly after he and fellow crew members Oleg Skripochka and Alexander Kaleri landed in their Soyuz TMA-01M capsule near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, March 16, 2011. NASA Astronaut Kelly, Russian Cosmonauts Skripochka and Kaleri are returning from almost six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 25 and 26 crews.
HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut Mark Kelly will resume training as commander of the STS-134 space shuttle mission on Monday, Feb. 7. With the exception of some proficiency training, Kelly has been on personal leave since Jan. 8 to care for his wife, congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically wounded in a Tucson, Ariz. shooting.
"I am looking forward to rejoining my STS-134 crew members and finishing our training for the mission," Kelly said. "We have been preparing for more than 18 months, and we will be ready to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space Station and complete the other objectives of the flight. I appreciate the confidence that my NASA management has in me and the rest of my space shuttle crew."
"We are glad to have Mark back," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's JohnsonSpaceCenter in Houston. "He is a veteran shuttle commander and knows well the demands of the job. We are confident in his ability to successfully lead this mission, and I know I speak for all of NASA in saying 'welcome back'.
A news briefing will be held at today at Johnson to discuss Kelly's return. The briefing will be broadcast on NASA Television.
Questions will be taken from reporters at Johnson, NASA Headquarters and the KennedySpaceCenter in Florida.
Because of winter weather conditions, Johnson will be closed until . However, the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 is staffed to receive calls from journalists requesting credentials.
On Monday, Feb. 7, NASA TV will broadcast video b-roll of Kelly's first training session with his crew at . Additional b-roll of his first day of training will air at The training sessions will not be available for filming by news media. Astronaut Rick Sturckow, the backup commander for the mission, will resume his role as the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office. For more information about the STS-134 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.
Kelly's biography can be found at http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kellyme.html.
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement Saturday about the shooting in Tucson, Ariz., of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and several others:
"We at NASA are deeply shocked and saddened by the senseless shooting of Representative Giffords and others at Saturday’s public event in Tucson. As a long-time supporter of NASA, Representative Giffords not only has made lasting contributions to our country, but is a strong advocate for the nation’s space program and a member of the NASA family. She also is a personal friend with whom I have had the great honor of working. We at NASA mourn this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to Congresswoman Giffords, her husband Mark Kelly, their family, and the families and friends of all who perished or were injured in this terrible tragedy."
Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands with Captain Mark Kelly during his retirement ceremony in the Secretary of War Suite of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 6, 2011. Kelly was presented the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Flying Cross medals by the Vice President and Kelly's wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, for his 25 years of service with the Navy and NASA. 
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