With the story of Giffords remarkable recovery
With the story of Giffords remarkable recovery from the January shooting having been the focus of media attention in April, now more people are paying attention to the other parts of Endeavour's planned 16-day mission. The shuttle's main goal is to haul a $2 billion astronomy and physics experiment to the international space station.
This is also the next to last flight for the 30-year-old space shuttle fleet. And it is the final flight of the shuttle Endeavour, NASA's youngest orbiter, which has flown 116.4 million miles in 24 previous flights.
Giffords was wounded in the head in mass shooting in January that killed six people. Doctors have cleared her to travel to see the launch. She came for the April attempt, flew back to Houston to resume her rehabilitation work and even had dinner out with her husband.
People in campers and cars started Sunday afternoon lining up the best viewing spots to see Endeavour lift off.
Along the Indian River lagoon in Cape Canaveral, Gary and Gail Isackson of Kansas City, Mo., were looking forward to seeing the shuttle but worried that they might be chased off one of the prime viewing spots by police.
"I didn't spend all day sweating with love bugs to miss this," Gary Isackson said.
Beverly Haller of Spring Hill, Fla., and Owosso, Mich., said she wanted to see Endeavour's last flight and her first shuttle launch. She worried that if the shuttle didn't launch Monday, she'd miss her only chance because she won't be able to see Atlantis in July.
With the story of Giffords remarkable recovery from the January shooting having been the focus of media attention in April, now more people are paying attention to the other parts of Endeavour's planned 16-day mission. The shuttle's main goal is to haul a $2 billion astronomy and physics experiment to the international space station.
This is also the next to last flight for the 30-year-old space shuttle fleet. And it is the final flight of the shuttle Endeavour, NASA's youngest orbiter, which has flown 116.4 million miles in 24 previous flights.
Giffords was wounded in the head in mass shooting in January that killed six people. Doctors have cleared her to travel to see the launch. She came for the April attempt, flew back to Houston to resume her rehabilitation work and even had dinner out with her husband.
People in campers and cars started Sunday afternoon lining up the best viewing spots to see Endeavour lift off.
Along the Indian River lagoon in Cape Canaveral, Gary and Gail Isackson of Kansas City, Mo., were looking forward to seeing the shuttle but worried that they might be chased off one of the prime viewing spots by police.
"I didn't spend all day sweating with love bugs to miss this," Gary Isackson said.
Beverly Haller of Spring Hill, Fla., and Owosso, Mich., said she wanted to see Endeavour's last flight and her first shuttle launch. She worried that if the shuttle didn't launch Monday, she'd miss her only chance because she won't be able to see Atlantis in July.