NASA fuels space shuttle Endeavour for Monday launch

(CNN) -- The space shuttle Endeavour is set to lift off Monday on its final trip into space.

Forecasts indicate a 70% chance of favorable weather for the scheduled 8:56 a.m. ET launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

An estimated 500,000 people are expected to be on hand, said Michael D. Leinbach, NASA's shuttle launch director.

The mission will be commanded by Mark Kelly. His wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, arrived safely at the space center on Sunday, NASA said, four months after being shot in the head during an apparent assassination attempt at a public event in Tucson, Arizona. After initial treatment in Arizona, Giffords has been undergoing rehabilitation at the TIRR Memorial Hermann center in Houston.

NASA announced her arrival in a tweet, and a similar announcement was posted on her Facebook page.

Giffords, along with President Barack Obama, were in Florida on April 29, when Endeavour was originally slated to launch. But that liftoff was scrubbed because of a problem with a heater aboard the shuttle.

"The system looks good, the weather looks good, and we should be in good shape for launch," Mike Moses, launch integration manager for the NASA's space shuttle program, told reporters. "In our minds, we are good to go."

Farewell, my space shuttle

In a Monday morning tweet, mission specialist Col. Mike Fincke wrote, "Dear God, please bless our crew. Help us in our mission and to return safely home."

Fincke added, "please help me not to mess anything up."

Moses said the heater problem has been fixed. He said that while additional checks will be conducted on the heater and other systems prior to launch, no mechanical problems were anticipated.

With the delay, Endeavour is now scheduled to return to Earth on June 1. That is the same day the space shuttle Atlantis is slated to roll out to the launch pad in anticipation of the final mission in the space shuttle program's 30-year history.

The shuttle program's end --and the uncertainly surrounding the future of NASA and the U.S. space program -- has been a hot topic in recent months. Leinbach acknowledged Saturday that "the mood is a little bit downcast" in the space agency, especially as some NASA employees recently received notices warning that they could lose their jobs.

"The timing is a little unfortunate, but we've all known it's been coming," he said.

Endeavour entered service in 1992 as a replacement for the ill-fated space shuttle Challenger. Leinbach, who was a test director for that inaugural mission, said the orbiter remains in prime condition 19 years later.

"She still looks awfully good out there," said Leinbach. "She's got a lot of life left in her, but that's not meant to be."

CNN

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