Doctors say Giffords can attend husband's shuttle launch (Reuters)

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' doctors said on Monday that she is medically able to travel to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to attend her astronaut husband's space shuttle launch on Friday.

"She has made remarkable progress in her rehabilitation, and we saw no reason why she could not travel safely to Florida," Dr. Gerard Francisco, chief medical officer of TIRR Memorial Hermann, the hospital in Houston where Giffords has been undergoing rehabilitation, said in a statement.

Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, the commander of NASA's next-to-last scheduled shuttle mission, told CBS' Katie Couric that when Giffords learned she'd been given the green light to attend the launch, "I think she said 'awesome,' and she pumped her fist," according to excerpts released by CBS Evening News of an interview scheduled to be broadcast on Monday.

President Barack Obama is also expected to attend the shuttle launch.

The event would mark the first extended outing that Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, has made from a hospital environment since she was gunned down as she met with a group of constituents outside a Tucson, Arizona supermarket on January 8.

Six people were killed and 13 others wounded, Giffords among them, when a gunman opened fire on the congresswoman and bystanders. Jared Loughner, 22, a college dropout with a history of erratic behavior, is charged with the shooting.

After the shuttle launch, Giffords will return to Houston to continue her rehabilitation, according to the statement from the hospital.

"Medically, there is no reason she could not travel safely to Florida to participate in this incredible event with her husband," said Dr. Dong Kim, director of the Mischer Neuroscience Institute at Memorial Hermann. "This was not an ambulance transport. She is medically able and well enough to travel without additional risks."

The hospital did not release details about Giffords' travel to Florida, citing privacy concerns.

(Additional reporting by Corrie MacLaggan and Steve Gorman; Editing by Greg McCune)

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Giffords Will Attend Her Astronaut Husband's Space Shuttle Launch (SPACE.com)

Wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will be at the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour in support of her astronaut husband, mere months after being shot in the head, according to news reports.

In an interview with Katie Couric for CBS News, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, who is the commander of the upcoming flight of Endeavour to the International Space Station, said Giffords has been cleared by her doctors to attend the launch on Friday (April 29). [Photos: Shuttle Endeavour's Last Mission]

"I met with her doctors and neurosurgeon, and they've given us permission to take her down to the launch," Kelly told Couric. "We're excited about that."

CBS released a clip from the interview, which will air in its entirety tonight (April 25) on the CBS Evening News.

Giffords was shot on Jan. 8 after a gunman opened fire at a community event with constituents at a supermarket in Tucson. Six people were killed and 13 were injured in the attack, including Giffords.

In February, Giffords was transferred from a hospital in Arizona to a rehabilitation facility in Houston for a lengthy recovery program. The move allowed Kelly, who lives in Houston and works at NASA's Johnson Space Center, to continue training for his shuttle mission while also remaining close to his wife as she recovered.

In the months following the attack, Kelly spoke about Giffords' desire to attend the launch, but said that her medical condition, and the progress of her recovery, would ultimately dictate the final decision.

When Couric asked about Giffords' reaction to the good news, Kelly said, "I think she said, 'awesome,' and pumped her fist one more time."

Endeavour is slated to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 3:47 p.m. EDT (1947 GMT) on Friday.

Endeavour's STS-134 mission will be the last spaceflight for NASA's youngest orbiter before it is retired from service. For the upcoming mission, Kelly will command a six-astronaut crew on a 14-day mission to deliver spare parts, supplies and a $2 billion astrophysics experiment to the space station. Four spacewalks are also planned.

President Barack Obama recently announced that he and his family will also be in attendance for Endeavour's final launch.

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