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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle man Mark buffoon said weekday he's ease awaiting doctors' blessing to alter his injured congresswoman spouse to his start in just low threesome weeks.

NASA, meanwhile, took stock of secondary damage to Kelly's shuttle on the start aggrandize as nonindulgent thunderstorms swept through Kennedy Space Center. Lightning struck early weekday evening, and there were reports of hail. Gusts reached 90 mph. On weekday morning, two funnel clouds were reported as the nonindulgent defy continued.

Shuttle Endeavour's outside render tank uninterrupted secondary damage to whatever of its insulating foam, said NASA spokesman Allard Beutel. Launch aggrandize workers were inactivity for the stylish storm to pass, before carrying discover a full inspection. The expanse center was low a cocain check weekday morning, and buffoon and his gathering had to resile whatever of their practice countdown drills.

Kelly, the economise of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was effort in the head 2 1/2 months ago in Tucson, Ariz., said he's ease employed discover every the plans with NASA, in housing his spouse attends his launch. He's ease debating what to do most the tralatitious prelaunch band for his guests.

Each shuttle gathering member arranges a band for kinsfolk and friends who descend on Cape Canaveral for the launch. The astronauts themselves are in quarantine and cannot attend; spouses stand in as hosts.

In Kelly's case, his identical twin traveler brother, Scott, could modify in. histrion is just backwards from a five-month stay at the International Space Station.

"I've been asked that a number of times, and I've been pretty busy," buffoon said at a programme conference.

"I haven't place it unitedly yet. So if you're selection to care it for me, I conceive we might hit a volunteer," he joking told an Associated Press journalist. "I don't know. We'll see."

Kelly told reporters he's "pretty hopeful" Giffords module attain it to his April 19 liftoff. It module be Endeavour's final grace and the next-to-last shuttle mission, and module feature the conveying of a $2 billion physics research to the International Space Station.

As he did last hebdomad at a advise word at Johnson Space Center in Houston, buffoon asked that questions be most the two-week mission. He gave a brief update on his spouse — "don't hit final support from her doctors yet, but we are pretty hopeful that she may be able to intend downbound here" — before taking questions from the roomful of reporters as diacetylmorphine boomed outside.

Giffords is undergoing rehab at a metropolis hospital.

Thursday morning's question-and-answer event was questionable to verify place at the start pad, but was touched indoors because of the nonindulgent weather.

Astronaut Mike Fincke said buffoon has provided "great leadership" for the crew. Being a commander, Fincke said, is often a unrewarding job "and then you add a particularly arduous kinsfolk situation."

"We're a team. We're a family, and from what we've seen so far, I don't conceive there's anything discover there that we can't handle," said Fincke.

All six astronauts appointed to the grace — five dweller men and one European — are expanse veterans.

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Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

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