James McNeal "Vegas" Kelly (born May 14, 1964) is a NASA astronaut and a retired Colonel of the United States Air Force.

He was reassigned in April 1992 to Otis Air National Guard Base in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, as part of Project Total Force, where he continued flying the F-15 as an instructor and mission commander.

Selected by NASA in April 1996, Kelly reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996.

Having completed two years of training and evaluation, he is qualified for selection as a pilot on a Space Shuttle flight crew.

When this continued for a second day the shuttle was diverted and Kelly landed with Discovery at Edwards Air Force Base, California.