Today was a very special day in Florida, especially for NASA enthusiasts! The shuttle, Endeavour, was sent into orbit for its final trip into space today. Thousands of eager spectators crowded the Cape Canaveral launch site to see the shuttle and its crew off into orbit. Among the crewmembers is Mark Kelly, husband of Gabrielle Giffords who was in the news earlier this year after surviving a gunshot wound to the head. Remarkably, Giffords was at the shuttle launch to see her husband off!

An interesting fact for those who don’t eat sleep and breathe NASA: The countdown for a space shuttle launch actually begins 42 hours before lift-off. Throughout the countdown time, there are also scheduled pauses to enable proper planning for the space crew. Just like a space shuttle launch, professional movers in Jacksonville have a very calculated manner for planning each move. 

After the Endeavour's launch, there will be one more shuttle launch for NASA, which is planned for some time in July. It will be at least another three years from that point before any astronauts take off into space from United States soil.