Rep. Giffords to Attend Her Husband's Shuttle Launch

This is good news:

Wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords, recovering from being shot at a community event in January, plans to attend the launch of her astronaut husband's space shuttle mission next month, an aide said on Thursday.

"The plan is for her to attend," said C.J. Karamargin, the Arizona Democrat's spokesman, adding that changes in her medical condition and other factors ultimately will determine whether Giffords is present.

"That it is a goal that we are working toward, and we certainly hope that she'll be there."

Her husband, Mark Kelly, a three-time space shuttle veteran, is commander of the Endeavour mission due for lift-off from Cape Canaveral, on April 19 on what is currently scheduled to be NASA's final shuttle flight.

This flight will be historic, not only because of Giffords' attendance, but because it will be the last ever Shuttle launch. After this mission the U.S. goes out of the manned spaceflight business, at least as far as launching people via our own equipment.

We've gone from the 1960's when anything was possible to 2011 when nothing will be possible.