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		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/gifford-husband-in-shuttle-decision.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="Astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of wounded Gabrielle Giffords, is to decide whether to fly in the Endeavour Space Shuttle (AP)" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/min-gifford-husband-in-shuttle-decision.jpg" alt="Astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of wounded Gabrielle Giffords, is to decide whether to fly in the Endeavour Space Shuttle (AP)"/></a></p>
<p>The astronaut husband of injured US politician Gabrielle Giffords is set to announce whether he will fly on space shuttle Endeavour&#8217;s final voyage.</p>
<p>Mark Kelly will take part in a press conference on Friday afternoon at Johnson Space Centre in Houston, and analysts believe his involvement in the briefing &#8211; rather than the astronaut who has been standing in for him in training &#8211; indicates Mr Kelly has decided to fly in April.</p>
<p>His identical twin Scott, the current commander of the International Space Station, hinted in an interview this week that his brother would choose to fly.</p>
<p>Mark Kelly took leave from training after Ms Giffords was gunned down at a shopping centre in Tucson, Arizona, in early January. She has been undergoing rehab in Houston for the past two weeks.</p>
<p>Mr Kelly has spent the weeks since the shooting debating whether to step down as commander of Endeavour&#8217;s two-week mission, and in the meantime back-up commander Rick Sturckow joined the crew in training.</p>
<p>But the fact that Mr Sturckow is not listed for the press conference is telling and indicates that Mr Kelly will launch as scheduled, said Howard McCurdy, a public policy professor and space expert at the American University in Washington.</p>
<p>And because it will be one of the last two shuttle launches, and because of the drama behind the shooting of his wife, Endeavour&#8217;s mission will receive strong global attention, Mr McCurdy added.</p>
<p>&#8220;We all want her to go back to Congress; we&#8217;d like them both to continue their careers and we&#8217;d like them to be whole and normal as if this thing had never happened,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>Speaking in an interview from the space station this week, Scott Kelly said of his brother&#8217;s decision: &#8220;If he does choose, and Nasa management chooses, for him to fly this mission&#8230; I am absolutely 100% confident that he will have no problem fulfilling his responsibilities the same way as if this incident would have never occurred.&#8221;</p>
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