President Barack Obama and his family will attend the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour on Friday seated beside Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords, the victim of an assassination attempt in January. Giffords is married to mission STS-134’s commander, astronaut Mark Kelly.
President Obama visited the Kennedy Space Center in April 2010 to deliver a speech addressing the future of NASA. (Photo by NASA)
The event will be the first public appearance by Rep. Giffords since she was shot in the head during a mass shooting in Tuscon, Ariz. on January 8th, 2011. Six people were also killed. Giffords has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation following the attack.
Obama’s attendance will mark only the second time a sitting President has viewed a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral. President Bill Clinton became the first when he watched the Space Shuttle Discovery carry Senator John Glenn to space on mission STS-95.
NYCAviation will be at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, liveblogging the final launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Correction: An earlier version of this story identified Rep. Giffords as a Senator.
