Mark Kelly has served as the junior US Senator from Arizona since 2020. He was a captain in the United States Navy when he commanded the final mission of space shuttle
Endeavour in May 2011. A veteran of four space flights to the International Space Station, he is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and holds a master's degree from the US Naval Postgraduate School.
C. F. Payne has illustrated more than a dozen picture books, including the
New York Times bestselling
Mousetronaut by astronaut Mark Kelly; the Texas Bluebonnet winner
Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy,
written by Phil Bildner; and the
New York Times bestsellers
The Remarkable Farkle McBride and
Micawber, both by John Lithgow. He teaches at the Columbus College of Art & Design, where he is the chair of the Illustration Department. Payne lives with his wife and children in Cincinnati, Ohio. Visit him online at CFPayne.com.