Absolvoval střední školu Burlington Community High School v městě Burlington a v roce 1982 pokračoval ve studiu na vojenské letecké akademii US Air Force Academy. Ukončil ji v roce 1986. Pracoval pak v armádě jako pilot a operační letecký důstojník v Las Vegas.
Od roku 1996 byl po zácviku členem jednotky kosmonautů v Houstonu u agentury NASA.
Oženil se, jeho manželkou je Dawn, rozená Tommermanová. Měl přezdívku Vegas.
Lety do vesmíru
Na oběžnou dráhu se v raketoplánech dostal dvakrát jako jejich pilot a strávil ve vesmíru 26 dní, 17 hodin a 21 minut. Pracoval na orbitální stanici ISS. Byl 399. člověkem ve vesmíru.
Sts-114-patch.png The STS-107 patch The STS-114 patch design signifies the return of the Space Shuttle to flight and honors the memory of the Columbia crew, lost February 1, 2003.
The blue Shuttle rising above Earth's horizon includes the Columba constellation of seven stars, echoing the Columbia STS-107 patch and commemorating those seven crewmembers. The dominant element of the patch is the Earth, representing the unity and dedication of the many people whose efforts allow the Shuttle to return safely to flight. Against the nighttime Earth, the blue orbit represents the International Space Station, with the Shuttle crew spacewalk team named on the orbit. The red sun as the O in Noguchi signifies the contributions of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to the mission and to the ISS program. The multi-colored Shuttle plume represents the spectrum of challenges for this mission, including Shuttle inspection and repair experiments, International Space Station resupply and repair, and testing of new safety procedures.
Eileen Collins, STS-114 commander, said NASA is determined to make each successive Shuttle mission safer. "We're going to do something better on every flight." She said the crew will carry the memory of their friends on Columbia and the legacy of their mission back into Earth orbit. "We'll be remembering the Columbia crew during our mission," Collins said. "And I know that they're up there watching us, and watching the Shuttles get back into space again."
STS-102 Patch.svg The STS-102 crew insignia depicts the International Space Station as it looked when Space Shuttle Discovery was docked. Visible elements include the P6 and Z1 trusses, solar arrays from the Russian segment, 2 Pressurized Mating Adapters, and the Multi Purpose Logistics Module that was temporarily attached to the underside of the Unity Node. The numbers "102" represent the mission tail number. The red, white, and blue ribbons surrounding the space station represent that this is a crew rotation flight. The colors represent the nationalities of the crewmembers (Russian and American). Underneath the ribbons are the flags of the three nations who are the major contributors to the mission (from left to right: Russia, United States, Italy). The names of the 4 permanent crewmembers are displayed in gold around the top of the emblem. Attached to the bottom are six names depicting the six rotating crewmembers (Expedition 2 on top and Expedition 1 on bottom).
USA
Obrázky, zvuky či videa k tématu James McNeal Kelly na Wikimedia Commons 
