James McNeal "Vegas" Kelly
James McNeal "Vegas" Kelly is an American retired Air Force colonel, test pilot, and former NASA astronaut. He flew two shuttle missions as pilot during the ISS assembly and shuttle return-to-flight eras.
- Born
- May 14, 1964
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Burlington, Iowa,United States
Flights
2
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
26 days, 17 hours, 21 minutes
Bio
Kelly graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and earned a graduate degree in aerospace engineering. His Air Force career included fighter and test-pilot assignments before NASA selected him with Astronaut Group 16 in 1996.
He piloted STS-102 in 2001, an ISS crew rotation and logistics mission that delivered 2. He later piloted STS-114 in 2005, the first shuttle mission after the Columbia accident.
STS-114 made Kelly part of a crucial return-to- of inspection and safety procedures. The mission evaluated new techniques for detecting and addressing thermal-protection damage while delivering supplies to the station.