Astronauts back for next-to-last shuttle flight

Gabrielle Giffords will return to Cape Canaveral to see her husband's rescheduled launch on Monday

By Marcia Dunn

Published May 12, 2011 1:58PM (EDT)

In this picture made available by NASA, the last crew of the space shuttle Endeavour stands together on Launch Pad 39A in front of its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Thursday, April 28, 2011, one day before its final flight. From left are Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Pilot Greg H. Johnson, Commander Mark Kelly, European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori and Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff. (AP Photo/NASA, Kim Shiflett) (AP)
In this picture made available by NASA, the last crew of the space shuttle Endeavour stands together on Launch Pad 39A in front of its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Thursday, April 28, 2011, one day before its final flight. From left are Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Pilot Greg H. Johnson, Commander Mark Kelly, European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori and Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff. (AP Photo/NASA, Kim Shiflett) (AP)

The astronauts for NASA's next-to-last space shuttle flight are back in Florida for another try at launching into orbit.

The six crewmen -- led by the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords -- arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday morning.

Shuttle Endeavour is due to blast off Monday morning. The first launch attempt on April 29 was halted by electrical trouble. A switch box was replaced, and new wiring installed.

Commander Mark Kelly's wife was critically wounded in the head four months ago. The Arizona congresswoman recovered well enough to travel for her husband's first launch effort. She will return to Kennedy later this week.

Astronaut Gregory Chamitoff commended Kelly for giving the mission his all, and called him "truly an amazing commander."


By Marcia Dunn

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