NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Griffords who was critically wounded in the shooting rampage last Saturday in Tucson, remains “very hopeful” he will be in a position to lead the STS-134 space shuttle mission in April, but has recommended that steps be taken to have the mission undertaken in his absence.
On Thursday, NASA assounced that astronaut Rick Sturckow will serve as backup commander for the STS-134 space shuttle mission to facilitate continued training for the crew.
“Mark is still the commander of STS-134,” said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office. “He is facing many uncertainties now as he supports Gabrielle, and our goal is to allow him to keep his undistracted attention on his family while allowing preparations for the mission to progress. Designating a backup allows the crew and support team to continue training, and enables Mark to focus on his wife’s care.”
Sturckow will begin training next week at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with the rest of the STS-134 crew, which includes Pilot Greg H. Johnson, Michael Fincke, Roberto Vittori, Andrew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff.
The 14-day mission to the International Space Station is targeted for launch on April 19 from NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
