Giffords to attend husband's Endeavour launch

The astronaut husband of wounded U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords arrived at NASA's launch site Tuesday for this week's flight of space shuttle Endeavour and said his wife would be following him in plenty of time for liftoff.

Endeavour is set to blast off Friday afternoon on its final voyage, the next-to-last mission in the U.S. space shuttle program.

Capt. Mark Kelly and his crew flew into Kennedy Space Center early Tuesday afternoon. The countdown began about an hour later.

Speaking on behalf of his five crewmates, the navy officer expressed pleasure at seeing the astronauts' wives and children, who flew in a little earlier and gathered nearby.

Giffords was not in the crowd. She has been in Houston, where she is undergoing rehabilitation for a gunshot wound to the head. She was attacked Jan. 8 in her Tucson, Arizona, hometown.

"I'm personally looking forward to my wife, congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, getting here pretty soon to be here in time for our launch on Friday," Kelly told the crowd of family members and journalists.

"It's something she's been looking forward to for a long time," he said. "She's been working really hard to make sure thather doctors would permit her to come. She's more than medically ready to be here, and she's excited about making this trip."

Kelly was joined Tuesday by his identical twin, astronaut Scott Kelly. Both wore turquoise "Gabby" wristbands. Her staff said Giffords's travel for Florida would be provided by NASA.

President Barack Obama and his family also will attend the historic liftoff.

Forecasters put the odds of good launch weather at 80 per cent. Launch time is 3:47 p.m. ET.

Endeavour will carry a $2-billion US particle physics experiment to the International Space Station along with a load of spare station parts.

The 30-year shuttle program will end this summer with the flight of Atlantis.

Friday's launch will be the 134th shuttle mission overall and the 25th for NASA's youngest shuttle.The replacement for the doomed Challenger made its maiden flight in 1992.

Endeavour will be retired to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.