Mark Kelly to command space shuttle mission

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The New York Times reports Wounded Congresswoman’s Husband Will Fly on Shuttle:

Cmdr. Mark E. Kelly, the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, will head the space shuttle mission in April that he was assigned to command before his wife was shot, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is expected to announce today.

Whether Commander Kelly would fly on the two-week trip to the International Space Station in the midst of a family crisis has been a question in the background since Ms. Giffords was shot in the head and critically injured near Tucson on Jan. 8.

Commander Kelly, a Naval officer and former fighter pilot who flew 39 combat missions in the Persian Gulf War, came to the decision along with NASA officials, who must decide whether its crew members are able to fulfill their roles.

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[W]ith the space shuttle program now winding down, Commander Kelly, who has flown on three previous missions, would almost certainly have lost his last chance to command the shuttle if he had decided not to fly this time.

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Ms. Giffords is recovering from her wounds in a rehabilitation program in Houston. On Tuesday, Mark Kelly issued a message to his 28,000 followers on Twitter that “today was a huge day for G.G. Lots of progress!”