Retired NASA Astronaut Sen. Mark Kelly: ‘Space exploration matters; Artemis II matters’ | CNN

Retired NASA Astronaut Sen. Mark Kelly: ‘Space exploration matters; Artemis II matters’

By Anne Clifford, CNN

Published 10:19 PM EDT, Fri April 10, 2026

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Retired NASA Astronaut Sen. Mark Kelly: 'Space exploration matters; Artemis II matters'

Retired NASA Astronaut Senator Mark Kelly tells Anderson the Artemis II mission has inspired a new generation of young people the same way he was inspired as a kid. "I wanted to be the first person to go to Mars. I think that person is alive today."

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ALBANO LAZIALE, ITALY - JULY 20: (EDITOR NOTE: STRICTLY EDITORIAL USE ONLY - NO MERCHANDISING). Pope Leo XIV visits the Specola Vaticana (Vatican Observatory) at Castel Gandolfo on July 20, 2025 in Albano Laziale, Italy. Pope Leo XIV will resume using the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo for the next six weeks of the summer. The Vatican Observatory (Italian: Specola Vaticana) is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See. Originally based in the Roman College of Rome, the Observatory is now headquartered in Castel Gandolfo, Italy and operates a telescope at the Mount Graham International Observatory in the United States. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

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(L/R) NASA astronaut commander Randy Bresnik, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut pilot Luca Parmitano, NASA astronaut mission specialist Frank Rubio, and NASA astronaut mission specialist Andre Douglas speak during a press conference announcing the crew for the Artemis III mission at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on June 9, 2026. The Italian Luca Parmitano will be the pilot of NASA's Artemis 3 voyage, the first European to join one of the program's missions. Parmitano, who will represent the European Space Agency, is one of four men named as crewmembers tasked with carrying out Artemis 3, which is targeting launch in late 2027. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

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