Retired astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly received a standing ovation before a single word had come out of his mouth Thursday morning when he spoke at The Gathering.Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut who has piloted four space missions, is also husband of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords and Kelly were thrust into the national spotlight in January when Giffords was shot in the head during an assassination attempt in Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly said he never expected his wife’s political position to be more dangerous than his own unpredictable career.
“I didn’t contemplate how risky of a profession that would be,” Kelly said, thinking back to when his wife began her work in Congress. “I never considered that she was the one with the risky career … but as it turned out she would be the one to nearly lose her life serving our country.”
Kelly encouraged students to pursue their dreams and not give up, even when it seems like failure is inevitable. He gave an example of his experiences in Navy flight school, which he “barely passed.”
“We all don’t learn at the same rate,” Kelly said. “How well you do in the beginning of anything you try is not a good indicator of what you can become. I am a prime example of someone who was able to overcome a lack of aptitude with practice, persistence and the drive to never ever give up.”
Kelly told students that he has one-year, five-year and ten-year plans that help him stay focused on his goals. Sometimes plans change, he said, but it’s good to have an aim.
“A plan plus goals and hard work is the only formula for success,” Kelly said, adding that students should keep the length of their future plans to only one piece of paper.
Kelly emphasized that working for NASA demands trust among teammates. He said he expects his team members to tell him if they have a concern about his decision-making. Kelly said NASA often relies on this mantra: “None of us is as dumb as all of us.”
Photo Credit: Andrew Watson
“Your success hinges on having people that are smart, driven, decisive and that are willing to lean forward and take some risk.”
Kelly said people who want to be successful need to pay attention to details and be alert to potential problems.
“Pay attention to all of the details all of the time,” he said. “Never ever neglect the details.”
“You must be constantly searching for the next thing that could trip you up.”
Kelly shared a quote his wife often uses to remind him to persevere. “Deny the acceptance of failure,” she says.
“There is no substitute for hard work, goals and persistence,” Kelly said, concluding his speech. “And just because you’re not the best at something now, it doesn’t mean that you’ll never be the best. Take it from me. A guy who started out driving an ambulance around New Jersey and ended up commanding a rocket ship into space.”