Astronaut Mark Kelly to resume NASA mission training

Astronaut Mark Kelly to resume NASA mission training

2011-02-05 00:10:15 GMT+7 (ICT)

HOUSTON, TEXAS (BNO NEWS) -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Friday announced that astronaut Mark Kelly will resume training for space mission.

Kelly has been on a personal leave since January 8 as his wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was critically wounded in a Tucson, Arizona shooting. Kelly has been taking care of Giffords who amazingly survived a gunshot to the head.

The NASA astronaut will continue preparing for being the commander of the STS-134 space shuttle mission. He will resume training starting on February 7. Before the Tucson shooting, Kelly had trained for over 18 months for the space mission.

"I am looking forward to rejoining my STS-134 crew members and finishing our training for the mission," Kelly said "I appreciate the confidence that my NASA management has in me and the rest of my space shuttle crew."

Kelly added that due to the extensive training, his space crew will be ready to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space Station as well as fulfilling the mission's other objectives.

"He is a veteran shuttle commander and knows well the demands of the job. We are confident in his ability to successfully lead this mission, and I know I speak for all of NASA in saying welcome back," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

On January 8, Giffords was shot in the head at point-blank range by 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner at a supermarket in northwest Tucson. The congresswoman was hosting her first "Congress on Your Corner" of the year when Loughner suddenly shot at her.

In addition, the attacker also shot at other people and as a result he killed six people and injured 13 others. Among the victims were 9-year-old Christina Greene and U.S. District Judge John Roll.

Giffords is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research) Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston. The hospital specializes in patients who suffered penetrating brain injuries.

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