NASA has selected astronaut Rick Sturckow as a backup commander for its next space shuttle mission in case Commander Mark Kelly is unavailable.
Commander Kelly's wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was among those shot at a Tucson, Arizona shopping center last weekend. She is expected to survive, but a backup plan is now in place in case her condition worsens and Commander Kelly wants to stay with her.
"I recommended to my management that we take steps now to prepare to complete the mission in my absence, if necessary," Kelly said in a statement. "I am very hopeful that I will be in a position to rejoin my STS-134 crew members to finish our training."
At this point, Kelly is still the commander of the mission, which is set to launch on April 19 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"Mark is still the commander of STS-134," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office. "He is facing many uncertainties now as he supports Gabrielle, and our goal is to allow him to keep his undistracted attention on his family while allowing preparations for the mission to progress. Designating a backup allows the crew and support team to continue training, and enables Mark to focus on his wife's care."
Sturckow will start training next week at Johnson Space Center in Houston with the other crew members - Pilot Greg H. Johnson, Michael Fincke, Roberto Vittori, Andrew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff.
On the 14-day mission, the space shuttle Endeavour will travel to the International Space Station to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and spare parts, including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robot and micrometeoroid debris shields.
NASA is currently focused on the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, however. Discovery was initially scheduled to take off and head to the ISS on November 1. But leaks, inclement weather, electrical issues, and cracks delayed that launch more than a half dozen times. NASA said this week, however, that it discovered what caused the cracks, and Discovery is now set for a February 24 launch.