Second-Last Space Shuttle Mission Set to Launch

The space shuttle Endeavour will head to the International Space Station this afternoon, with a few special guests watching the launch.

NASA's second-last space shuttle mission launches today, with the Endeavour to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 3:47 p.m. ET. Helming the mission is Cmdr. Mark Kelly, husband of Gabrielle Giffords, the U.S. congresswoman shot and injured in a massacre in Tuscon, Ariz., in January. Giffords, just released from the hospital, will be there to watch her husband take off, as will President Barack Obama and his family. The 14-day mission will take the six-person crew to the International Space Station, and will feature four space walks of six hours each. NASA's final space shuttle mission, this time with Atlantis, is set for June 28.