NASA astronaut Mark Kelly will be the commander of Endeavor’s final flight, resuming his training on Monday, Feb. 7, a statement from NASA said. With the exception of some proficiency training, Kelly has been on personal leave since January 8, caring for his wife, congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically wounded in a shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona.
“I am looking forward to rejoining my STS-134 crew members and finishing our training for the mission,” Kelly said. “We have been preparing for more than 18 months, and we will be ready to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space Station and complete the other objectives of the flight. I appreciate the confidence that my NASA management has in me and the rest of my space shuttle crew.”
“We are glad to have Mark back,” said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “He is a veteran shuttle commander and knows well the demands of the job. We are confident in his ability to successfully lead this mission, and I know I speak for all of NASA in saying ‘welcome back’.
The 14-day mission to the International Space Station is targeted for launch on April 19 from NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A news briefing will be held at 2 p.m. CST today at Johnson to discuss Kelly’s return.
