Shuttle commander Mark Kelly to retire

Jun 21, 2011, 16:21 GMT

Washington - The commander of space shuttle Endeavour said Tuesday that he plans to retire from NASA and the US Navy in order to care for his wife, who was severely injured in an attempted assassination earlier this year.

Mark Kelly said in a statement posted on his Facebook page that he will leave the navy and NASA on October 1.

Kelly's wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head in an attack in January that left six dead and 12 others injured. She was released from a Houston hospital last week, but continues to undergo extensive therapy.

'Gabrielle is working hard every day on her mission of recovery,' Kelly said. 'I want to be by her side. Stepping aside from my work in the navy and at NASA will allow me to be with her and with my two daughters.'

During 15 years at NASA, Kelly, whose twin brother is also an astronaut, has flown on four shuttle missions to the International Space Station. Earlier this month, he commanded the final flight of the Endeavour.

Kelly stressed, however, that his decision is not a reflection on the end of the space shuttle programme. The final shuttle flight of Atlantis is set for July 8.

'I know that as our space programme evolves, there are those who will question NASA's future. I am not among them,' he said.