By: Channel 9 Eyewitness News
news@kcautv.com
VERMILLION, S.D. – Capt. Mark Kelly, astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Captain, a best-selling author, prostate cancer survivor and an experienced naval aviator who flew combat missions during the Gulf War, will speak at the University of South Dakota in April.
Kelly will be the guest speaker for IdeaFest at the University of South Dakota on April 10 at 7 p.m. in Slagle Hall's Aalfs Auditorium. Kelly's lecture, "Endeavour to Succeed," will address his success in space as well as his personal life and how it forever changed in the assassination attempt on his wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
Kelly and Giffords co-authored, "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope," released in November 2011, which explores Kelly's public service as a pilot and astronaut, his wife's public service as a politician, and their struggles following the shooting that left her critically injured.
Kelly served as commander of Space Shuttle Discovery and flew his first of four missions in 2001 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, the same space shuttle that he commanded on its final flight in May 2011.
