Mark Edward Kelly is an American politician, former astronaut, and United States Navy captain who has served as the junior United States senator from Arizona since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in the special election held following the death of Senator John McCain, defeating incumbent Republican Martha McSally.
Official portrait, 2021
Kelly's official NASA portrait, 2005
STS-108 Commander Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie and Pilot Mark Kelly, in their stations during rendezvous operations with the International Space Station, 2001
Kelly (center) surrounded by Piers J. Sellers (right), Michael E. Fossum (left), cosmonaut Pavel V. Vinogradov (center left) and Stephanie D. Wilson (center right), 2006
An astronaut-politician is a person who has entered politics after traveling to space as an astronaut. Even with the increasing number of individuals who have flown in space, astronauts still maintain a wide degree of public recognition, and those interested in pursuing a career in politics have been able to take advantage of their renown to enter politics at higher levels of elected office.
John Glenn, shown here before his trip for mission STS-95 in 1998, was a NASA astronaut who later became a US Senator. The first American to orbit the Earth, he was elected to the Senate in 1974 and served until 1999.
Valentina Tereshkova is a Soviet cosmonaut-turned-parliamentarian. She was the first woman in space, and served first in the Supreme Soviet (1966–1989) and later in the State Duma (since 2011).
