Giffords' astronaut husband decides to fly shuttle

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer) – The astronaut husband of wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will head to space in April, a stunning decision coming almost one month to the day that his wife was shot through the head.

The congresswoman not only survived, by all accounts she is making good progress in rehab in Houston, where husband Mark Kelly will resume training Monday for shuttle Endeavour's final voyage. One doctor has described her recovery as "lightning speed."

NASA confirmed late Friday morning that Kelly will be aboard Endeavour as commander of the two-week mission. He is holding a news conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday afternoon.