Giffords arrives in Florida for Endeavour launch

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has arrived back in Florida to watch her husband Captain Mark Kelly's scheduled Monday morning launch on space shuttle Endeavor.

Her spokesperson Mark Kimble had confirmed to CBS News correspondent Karen brown that the Arizona congresswoman - still undergoing rehabilitation from the shooting in Tucson last January - arrived from her Houston hospital shortly after noon.

The trip went well with no problems whatsoever, Kimble said.

He said Giffords was disappointed when the launch was scrubbed at the last minute on April 29, but that being married to an astronaut she knows these things can happen. Giffords was determined to be present for the latest launch attempt and insisted on returning, to support her husband.

CBS News space analyst Bill Harwood reports that the updated forecast for Monday's planned launch of Endeavour was unchanged Sunday with a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather.

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Thunderstorms passed south of the Kennedy Space Center early Sunday, but the weather was expected to be favorable for the noon rollback of a protective gantry around the shuttle.

Engineers plan to begin fueling Endeavour at 11:36 p.m. EDT (GMT-4), setting up a launch attempt at 8:56:26 a.m. Monday.

"The mid- and upper-atmosphere will dry out today, and there is only a slight chance for late afternoon thunderstorms associated with the west coast sea breeze," according to the forecast provided by the 45th Weather Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base. "Winds will decrease into the evening hours, and weather is favorable for tanking tonight. By launch time, the weather forecast is generally favorable, but the forecast wind speed and direction causes some concern for a Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) crosswind violation. There is also just a slight concern for a low-cloud ceiling."

NASA flight rules require generally clear skies and crosswinds at or below 15 knots.

The forecast for Monday calls for scattered clouds at 3,500 feet with winds out of 250 degrees at 10 knots with gusts to 15. Almost all of that is a crosswind on SLF runway 15/33.

The forecast for Tuesday calls for a 60 percent chance of a delay due to crosswinds, low clouds and rain, but the outlook improves to 80 percent "go" on Wednesday.