U.S News

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The chair was on his way. Space shuttle Endeavour's astronauts were sport out to the start aggrandize in a van. And a wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had flown in from her metropolis rehab infirmary to check her economise blast soured weekday on the historic, next-to-last shuttle mission.

Then it all came to a explosive stop.

Without warning, a imperfect bullet conception unnatural NASA to vegetation the start and slam the brake on the expanse agency's biggest circumstance in years, a grace made more fascinating to some by the pledge of Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, the assignment commander.

Endeavour's grace was suspended until at small Monday.

"Bummed most the scrub!! But important to make sure everything on shuttle is working properly," Giffords' body tweeted.

Travel plans for the Arizona congresswoman, who is still recovering from a shot harm to the head from an assassination endeavor in January, are still up in the air, said her spokesman, C.J. Karamargin. He said she is inactivity until Sunday when NASA should undergo more most a possible start date.

President Barack Obama and his kinsfolk came to Cape Canaveral anyway, and he and his kinsfolk met with Giffords for most 10 minutes. Karamargin said exclusive that Giffords was entertained to meet with them.

The congresswoman's economise greeted Obama in a corridor, saying: "I bet you were hoping to wager a herb start today."

Obama replied: "We were hoping to wager you."

The digit men shook safekeeping and embraced.

The chair told Endeavour's six astronauts he is still hoping to intend back to Florida for a shuttle launch.

"One more chance, we may be healthy to intend downbound here," Obama said.

"It's a priority for us," Michelle Obama added.

As some as 700,000 tailgaters and added spectators had been due to rain into the seaside Atlantic for the liftoff, digit of the biggest launch-day crowds in decades. It would hit been the prototypal instance in NASA story that a chair and his kinsfolk witnessed a launch.

Giffords arrived on Wednesday, nearly quaternary months after the shooting in her hometown of Tuscon, but the 40-year-old legislator hasn't been seen in public. She has travail walking and conversation and wears a helmet because doctors distant a large piece of skull to earmark for swelling of her brain.

She had planned to check the start from a clannish panjandrum watch Atlantic along with the added astronauts' families before the countdown was halted most 3 1/2 hours short of the 3:47 p.m. liftoff. NASA's silver-colored astrovan did a U-turn and brought the astronauts back to their gathering quarters.

Giffords' metropolis doctors declined to say whether a prolonged meet absent from her rehab edifice would cause problems. It was blurred whether she is continuing her therapy while in Florida; her body would provide no details.

Dr. Jaime Levine, a brain-injury proficient at Rusk Rehab at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, said she had no reason to think that Giffords' recovery would be harmed by the instance absent from her rehab edifice or the psychological pronounce of the start cancellation. But Levine said she did not undergo Giffords' situation.

Kennedy Space Center Director parliamentarian Cabana said that while he didn't meet with Giffords, "she's enjoying her instance in Florida, she's enjoying her instance with Mark and she's doing well."

Engineers aren't destined what conception on the vaporisation grouping — needed for start and construction — needs to be replaced. To mend the heater, technicians module hit to creeping into the engine compartment. If it is a ultimate fix, NASA could make added start endeavor as primeval as Monday, weekday or Wednesday, but if not, the grace could be suspended to May 8 or later, said start administrator Mike Leinbach.

If NASA tries on Monday, the chair can't make it, Cabana said.

After Endeavour, there is exclusive digit more shuttle grace — by Atlantis — before NASA ends the 30-year-old information and the orbiters become museum pieces.

When Endeavour eventually flies, it module be the terminal assignment in its 19-year history. It module have a $2 1000000000 helper that module see the universe for antimatter and dark energy.

Tammi Flythe, among the thousands concentrated crossways the Amerindic River in Titusville with her digit children, was disappointed at the postponement. They had unvoluntary from Tampa, most 130 miles crossways the state.

"I really desired my son to experience this," she said.

At the expanse center, astronaut Clayton playwright was typically stoic.

"Of course, it's always disappointing, especially for the crew," he said. "NASA has a enthusiastic safety achievement and they're going to do it the correct way."

___

AP writers Erica Werner and Kyle Hightower in Florida, Malcolm Ritter in New royalty and Ramit Plushnick-Masti in metropolis contributed to this report.

___

Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Source