Mark and Scott Kelly will lead lectures and Q&As on Crystal Serenity's 26 June voyage
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Twin brothers and NASA astronaut captains Scott Kelly and Mark Kelly will make their first-ever appearance together as guest lecturers onboard Crystal Serenity this June.
They will present live lectures and participate in Q&A sessions in Crystal Serenity’s lounges and theatres during her seven-night sailing from Anchorage to Vancouver. Departing on 26 June, the itinerary will take guests to Sitka, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, Alaska.
“It is a special honour for us to welcome these esteemed guests aboard our ship, and we are equally thrilled to share the privilege with our guests,” says Edie Rodriguez, Crystal CEO and president. “Crystal has long enjoyed a reputation for offering enlightening and often cutting-edge enrichment onboard that enhances travellers’ global explorations; this occasion is particularly exceptional.”
Scott Kelly, who spent 25 years in the US Navy and 20 at NASA, was the first year-round astronaut and joined in NASA’s first twin study. The experiment saw Scott Kelly complete a space mission, while Mark Kelly served on the ground as a control model to help scientists understand how space affects the human body.
Captain Mark Kelly commanded Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission in May 2011 and is one of only two people to have visited the International Space Station on four separate occasions. He also served in the US military.
The twins will be joined by Mark’s wife, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who began her tenure in the US Congress in 2007. In 2011, Giffords and 13 other were critically wounded in an assassination attempt which killed six others. Following her recovery and retirement from Congress, Giffords has used her position to speak out on issues and pursue bipartisan collaboration.