(JTA) — U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in January, will attend the space shuttle launch captained by her husband.
Giffords (D-Ariz.) was given the go-ahead by her doctors to attend Friday’s launch in Cape Canaveral, Fla., her husband Mark Kelly said in a CBS interview broadcast Monday.
Kelly is commanding the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavor.
Giffords, the first Jewish congresswoman elected from Arizona, is in a recovery facility in Houston. The third-term Democrat was shot Jan. 8 as she met with constituents in Tucson, Ariz.; six people were killed.
Family members, friends, aides and health workers will join Giffords at the launch, The New York Times reported. President Obama and his family also are scheduled to attend. Giffords will watch the launching in a restricted area.
A portion of Giffords’ skull that was removed to relieve pressure from brain swelling had not yet been replaced, but her doctors believe she can travel safely. She will return to the Houston facility shortly after the launch, according to The New York Times.
