KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA -- View the launch at NASA.gov
The final launch of the space shuttle Endeavour will take place at 2:47 this afternoon Central time. The NASA crew of 6 will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will be in space for 14 days.
This not only is the second to last launch for the shuttle program, it is also commanded by the husband of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords was shot attending a public meeting in Tucson back in January. She will be attending the lift-off as well as President Obama and his family.
The shuttle’s load includes a $2 billion alpha magnetic spectrometer to be delivered to the International Space Station. The instrument could prove or disprove the Big Bang Theory of how the universe was formed.
Following its mission, Endeavour will head to the California Science Center near Los Angeles after it is decommissioned.
The shuttle Atlantis is expected to make its final trip to space in June.
ABCNews.com contributed to this story
Click here for a video gallary of Endeavour's final voyage
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