Astronauts in Florida for next-to-last shuttle flight, Endeavour patched, in ‘great’ shape

<p>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The astronauts for NASA’s next-to-last space shuttle flight returned to Florida on Thursday for another try at launching to the International Space Station.</p> <p>The six crewmen – led by the husband of wounded U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords – arrived at Kennedy Space Center a day before the countdown clocks begin ticking again.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>In brief remarks after the crew’s arrival, commander Mark Kelly said the launch director has assured him that Endeavour is “in great condition.”</p> <p>Aboard Endeavour is a $2 billion particle physics detector that will be attached to the space station. The 16-day flight also will feature the delivery of station spare parts, as well as four spacewalks that will be the last for the 30-year shuttle program. Atlantis closes out the shuttle era with a flight in July.</p> <p>Kelly’s wife was critically wounded when she was shot in the head four months ago at a Tucson, Arizona, political event. Giffords recovered well enough to travel from Houston for her husband’s first launch effort. She will return to Kennedy later this week, along with the other astronauts’ families.</p> <p>Her staff said she will return to Houston to continue rehabilitation efforts, shortly after liftoff. She is a member of the House committee on science, space and technology.</p> <p>Astronaut Gregory Chamitoff commended Kelly for giving the mission his all, and called him “truly an amazing commander.”</p> <p>”We all know Mark’s been through a lot the past few months,” Chamitoff told journalists. “All of us feel really, really lucky to have him guide us through this complex mission.”</p> <p>”Appreciate that,” Kelly said. “We are really excited to be here, excited to launch hopefully on Monday if the weather holds.”</p> <p>Forecasters put the odds of acceptable conditions at 70 per cent. Launch time is 8:56 a.m. (1256 GMT) Monday.</p> <p>Pilot Gregory Johnson celebrated his 49th birthday Thursday.</p> <p>”I can’t think of a more perfect way to spend my birthday” than get ready for the flight, Johnson said.</p> <p>Endeavour is the youngest shuttle in the fleet. It was built to replace the shuttle Challenger, destroyed in a 1986 launch accident, and first flew in 1992. This will be its 25th flight and the 134th overall for the shuttle program.</p> <p>___</p> <p>Online:</p> <p>NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle</p&gt;