April 26, 2011
Rep. Giffords to attend husband’s shuttle launch
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Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in January, will attend the space shuttle launch captained by her husband.
Giffords (D-Ariz.) was given the go-ahead by her doctors to attend the launch, her husband Mark Kelly said in a CBS interview broadcast Monday.
Kelly, will command the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavor, which is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on April 29.
Giffords, the first Jewish congresswoman elected from Arizona, is in a recovery facility in Houston. The third-term Democrat was shot in the head on Jan. 8 as she met with constituents in Tucson, Ariz.; six people were killed.
Giffords will be joined by family members, friends, aides and health workers, the New York Times reported. President Obama and his family are also scheduled to attend. Giffords will watch the launching in a restricted area.
A portion of Giffords’ skull that was removed to relieve pressure from brain swelling had not yet been replaced, but her doctors believe she can travel safely. She will return to the Houston facility shortly after the launch, according to the New York Times.
