The penultimate NASA space shuttle mission is set to begin Friday, with President Obama and recovering Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) in attendance.
 
Obama is scheduled to attend the Friday afternoon launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, which NASA said Thursday was being moved to 3:47 p.m., while he is in Florida to deliver a commencement address at Miami-Dade College.

Giffords, who is still recovering from a Jan. 8 assassination attempt, will attend to watch her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, man the flight. 

NASA said Thursday it expected a smooth launch.
 
“The weather forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch time, according to Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters,” the agency said on its website. “The only concerns for launch may be the crosswinds at the Shuttle Landing Facility and a low cloud ceiling associated with a front moving into Central Florida.”
 
If the weather ends up being a problem, the agency said on Twitter Thursday that it can try four launch attempts between Friday and May 4. 
 
Giffords flew to Florida on a NASA plane earlier this week, though she is not expected to appear publicly at the launch. Her staff has said she is excited about the experience.
 
“Tomorrow will be a day in the history books,” the staff tweeted. “GG is enjoying Fla & all the space action!”
 
Obama has added a trip to Alabama to his schedule to view damage from tornadoes there, but is still scheduled to attend the shuttle launch.

(Source: The Hill)