Eighteen days after its scrubbed April 29 launch, the space shuttle Endeavour lifted off for its final mission this morning.
As many as 500,000 people crowded Florida's Space Coast to see the liftoff. With weather and systems in "go" condition, Endeavour took off on time at 5:56 a.m. Arizona time, carrying six astronauts and a $2 billion particle detector into space.
Astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain Mark Kelly, husband of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, commands the mission.
Giffords again traveled from her Houston rehabilitation center to Florida to see the launch. She and Kelly swapped wedding rings pre-flight, Giffords' chief of staff Pia Carusone told The Early Show Monday morning.
During a post-launch press conference, Carusone said a seated Giffords watched the launch from the rooftop viewing area NASA astronaut families share. After the launch, the congresswoman reportedly turned to Carusone and said, "Good stuff."
In a blog entry posted just minutes after launch, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said Giffords' presence at the launch--just 5 months after suffering a gunshot wound to the head in the Tucson shooting--"inspired us all."
Endeavour's 16-day mission will bring its crew and cargo to the International Space Station. Upon its return, the shuttle will retire to a museum in Los Angeles. Only one shuttle mission remains--the flight of Atlantis in July.
Read our feature on the future of U.S. spaceflight here.
Missed our live coverage of the launch? Click to watch it now:
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