'He's done an incredible job keeping track of all the details of this mission. 'On behalf of all of us, we all know Mark's been through a lot the past few months,' Chamitoff said after the crew flew in to Kennedy Space Center last week. Giffords has been recovering in Houston after being shot in January during a community outreach event outside a Tucson, Ariz., grocery store.ДЄfter the shooting, Kelly took time off to be with his wife and family, but decided in early February to resume training with the crew and continue as commander of the mission. The launch was witnessed by a crowd of about 500,000 spectators, which included Kelly's wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. EDT on May 16, 2011, space shuttle Endeavour and its six-member crew lifted off Launch Pad 39A on a mission to the International Space Station. 'I am really excited and charged up for this mission!' Johnson wrote on Twitter this morning.ДЄt 8:56 a.m. Johnson and mission specialists Mike Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel, and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori. Kelly is leading a veteran crew of six, including pilot Gregory H.

There were no issues with the system during today's launch countdown. They replaced the box and about 20 feet of wiring connected to it, and conducted thorough tests to make sure the problem was resolved. Engineers traced the problem back to a switchbox feeding power to the heater. That earlier launch try was called off when a heater used to protect a critical power unit on the shuttle failed just hours before liftoff. 'It's going to be Endeavour's 25th flight, and me and my crew are excited to be a part of it.'

'Endeavour has had a pretty amazing career,' Kelly said after he and his crew arrived in Florida for a first launch attempt in April. After today, NASA has only one more shuttle mission planned before the shuttles are retired for good. The moment was bittersweet for the thousands of NASA workers who have devoted years to the maintenance of Endeavour and its two sister orbiters. It is in the DNA of our great country to reach for the stars and explore. 'As Americans, we endeavor to build a better life than the generation before and we endeavor to be a united nation,' Kelly said in the final moments at the launch pad. 'On behalf of thousands of proud Americans who've been part of the journey, good luck, godspeed, see you back here on June 1.'Д®ndeavour's commander Mark Kelly also shared some poignant words just prior to the launch. 'Looks like a great day to launch Endeavour for the final time,' launch director Mike Leinbach told the crew as the minutes and seconds ticked down to liftoff.

Nasa space shuttle lanch