Shuttle Astronauts Back In Florida Ahead Of Launch
CAPE CANAVERAL (CBS4) -- The six astronauts for the space shuttle Endeavour's final flight are back in Florida for another try at launching into orbit.
The crewmen, led by Mark Kelly -- the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday morning.
"It's great to be back," said Kelly. "We really appreciate all the hard work by the team that's worked over the last couple of weeks to get shuttle Endeavour ready."
Kelly introduced Endeavour's pilot Greg H. Johnson who commented, "I can't think of a more perfect way to spend my birthday then to come here with my crew a get ready to fly Endeavour next week."
Later Thursday, Kelly and Johnson will practice landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, which are Gulfstream II jets modified to handle like a space shuttle.
This is NASA's next-to-last space shuttle flight. Endeavour is due to blast off Monday morning at 8:56 a.m. but the official countdown begins Friday at 7:00 a.m.
The first launch attempt on April 29 was halted by electrical trouble. A switch box was replaced, and new wiring installed.
Endeavour will be carrying a $2 billion particle physics experiment for the International Space Station, along with other supplies.
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.
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
