Gabrielle Giffords' husband headed back to Earth

The space shuttle Endeavour is headed home for the last time.

Endeavour lands early tomorrow morning at the Kennedy Space Center, after what NASA calls a "flawless" 16-day mission.

CBS News Correspondent Michelle Miller spoke with the crew last night, including Endeavour's commander, astronaut Mark Kelly.

Crew prepares for Endeavour's final trip home
Astronauts complete space station's U.S. section

Kelly, whose wife, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was shot and critically wounded in January, has followed his wife's ongoing recovery from space. During the mission, Giffords has undergone surgery and continued her recovery. The couple has had to share it all while being worlds apart.

Miller reported after two weeks in space aboard Endeavour and the International Space Station, it's still day one of the mission that most resonates with Kelly because his wife was at the launch - and made it there on her own two feet.

Kelly told CBS News, "It was special moment, after having what happened on January 8th, the fact that she was able to recover to the point to walk on the airplane, walk off, make the trip to Florida."

During the mission - Endeavour's last - Kelly's crew made four spacewalks to update and perform maintenance on the International Space Station.

Pictures: The final flight of Endeavour
CBS News Space Place: STS-134 Mission Update

Fellow Endeavour astronaut Michael Fincke said, "It's really special to be out there on a space walk. It was quarter inch of Plexiglas between you and the rest of the universe and look down and see our planet zoom by at 17,500 miles an hour and cosmos in front of you."

And while the Endeavour crew was walking in space, Giffords was making great strides on Earth as doctors removed the stitches from an operation that closed up a hole in her skull with a plastic implant. There were also developments in the case against Jared Loughner, the man who shot Giffords and killed six others. Last week, a judge ruled Loughner was unfit to stand trial.

Miller asked Kelly, "What mix of excitement and anxiety have you been dealing with being so far away from your wife?"

"Being away from her, to be honest, it's difficult," Kelly said. "Fortunately, there's a phone on the space station, there's email, and I'm looking forward to getting back there tomorrow."

The two shared a wake-up call on Sunday with a song called "Slowness" by an Arizona band. The song is about two people reaching across each other from a distance.

Kelly said, "Before this happened in January, I didn't listen to them a lot, but she listens to (the band) Calexico in her room, and so I really enjoy it now, and since it came up from Gabby, it was really special."

The shuttle is scheduled to land early tomorrow morning in Florida, and could mark the final time for Kelly in space. He says he's sad to see the shuttles retired, but excited for the future, including the chance to see his wife again.

When asked what he's going to say to his wife when he returns, Kelly said, "Probably, 'I'm back.'"

Atlantis is due to launch July 8 - the final mission for the American Space Shuttle program.