CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The final crew of NASA's space shuttle Endeavour has been through more than most.

The five astronauts who will be under the command of Mark Kelly on Endeavour's final mission were shocked to hear in January that Kelly's wife had been shot in the head. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was meeting with constituents outside a Tucson grocery store when a man opened fire, shooting Giffords and 18 other people. Six died, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl.

In the months since, Giffords has made a remarkable recovery, according to Kelly. Giffords is well enough, in fact, that today she is traveling from her hospital in Houston to Kennedy Space Center here for the launch of Endeavour's STS-134 mission, scheduled for Friday at 3:47 p.m. EDT (1947 GMT). [Photos: Shuttle Endeavour's Last Mission]