Astronaut & the Congresswoman: Photos of Mark Kelly and Gabrielle Giffords

A Dance of Smiles

White House Photo by David Lienemann

Captain Mark Kelly hugs his wife Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords after receiving the Legion of Merit from Vice President Joe Biden during Captain Kelly's retirement ceremony in the Secretary of War Suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 6, 2011.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

White House Photo by David Lienemann

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords listens as her husband, Captain Mark Kelly speaks at his retirement ceremony with Vice President Joe Biden in the Secretary of War Suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 6, 2011.

Vice President Biden Honors Mark Kelly

White House Photo by David Lienemann

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.

White House Photo by David Lienemann

Captain Mark Kelly speaks at his retirement ceremony with Vice President Joe Biden in the Secretary of War Suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 6, 2011.

Vice President and Mark Kelly

White House Photo by David Lienemann

Vice President Joe Biden speaks at Captain Mark Kelly's retirement ceremony in the Secretary of War Suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 6, 2011.

Mark Kelly with Gabrielle Giffords

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' office

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (right) with her husband, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly.

Tucson Memorial Service

White House/Pete Souza

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and Mark Kelly (at far right), the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, listen to remarks by Daniel Hernandez, the intern who helped save the life of Rep. Giffords during the Tucson shootings. This memorial service took place at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 12, 2011.

Gabrielle Giffords - First Photos Released

P.K. Weis, SouthwestPhotoBank.com

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords smiles in the first photos of her released since she was critically injured in a January shooting spree in Tucson, Ariz.

Gabrielle Giffords

P.K. Weis, SouthwestPhotoBank.com

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was surrounded by her mother, one of her staff members and a close friend during this photoshoot at her hospital in Houston.

Recovery Process

Mark Kelly/Facebook

Photos of loved ones and other inspiration adorn Congresswoman Giffords' hospital room.

Mark Kelly Videochats with His Wife

Gabrielle Giffords

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords posted this picture of her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, video-chatting from space on her Twitter account. Kelly was commanding the space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station at the time in May 2011.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.