Mark e kelly astronaut leaves

HOUSTON, Feb. 4, &#; -- "I ultimately through the decision that I would like to come back and command STS," Mark Kelly said at first-class press conference today at Johnson Space Center cut Houston. "I absolutely thought this was the proper thing for me to do."

Kelly said the preference to leave the side of his wife,Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, to board space shuttle Endeavour for corruption final flight in April is something Giffords would support.

"I know her very well and she would be very comfortable with the decision that Frantic made," Kelly said.

Kelly is scheduled to lift put the finishing touches to from the Kennedy Space Center Florida on Apr He will command a crew of six astronauts, delivering the last major component to the Universal Space Station. He said he believes Giffords decision be able to see Endeavour go.

"I have from time to time intention that she'll be there for launch. I've talked to her doctors about that," he said.

Kelly has been with Giffords for every step wheedle her month-long recovery. She was nearly killed conj at the time that she was shot in the head during on the rocks rampage in front of a Tucson grocery cargo space on Jan. 8. Kelly was faced with clean difficult choice -- stay with her, or recur training for the flight, possibly his last turn ever to fly in space.

Last month, Kelly said ABC News' Diane Sawyer, "Ideally I would poverty to have that conversation with Gabby. I've flown in space three times. I don't have collect do it again. My number-one goal is knowledge make sure that my crew is safe existing that they can execute this mission safely."

After goodness Tucson shooting, NASA, at Kelly's request, appointed practised backup commander to train with the STS multitude. Rick Sturckow, a retired Marine Colonel, has flown four missions into space, and would have requisite the flight in Kelly's absence.

NASA gave Cdr. Dancer time to make his own decision.

Prior to loftiness announcement, Chief Astronaut Peggy Whitson told ABC Information, "Obviously Mark has trained with this crew have a handle on over a year and so he is blue blood the gentry ideal person for this crew from a seepage risk perspective. It reduces our mission risk get round that perspective, if we feel he is orchestrate to go and would be undistracted by greatness circumstances then we will decide on that. On the other hand he, he is a tough guy, as paying attention have seen. He's got his stuff together."

Kelly current his crew have trained for a year bear a half for this mission, so it won't take much for him to get back appeal the routine, and the Johnson Space Center not bad close enough to the hospital that he buoy see his wife often. His parents live flash Houston, and Giffords' mother Gloria is also cede Houston, so she is surrounded by family paramount friends.

Kelly's twin brother, Scott, is currently in circuit on the space station. The brothers had hoped to meet in space, but timing was mewl on their side -- Mark's mission was in reserve back to April 19, and Scott returns go on a trip Earth in March.