NASA has a backup commander for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission so its commander Mark Kelly can care for his wife while the crew and support teams can continue training, the agency announced Thursday. Kelly's wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was critically wounded from a shooting rampage last Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.

Astronaut Rick Sturckow will serve as backup commander for the mission to the International Space Station, which is targeted for launch April 19 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"I recommended to my management that we take steps now to prepare to complete the mission in my absence, if necessary," Kelly said in a statement through NASA. "I am very hopeful that I will be in a position to rejoin my STS-134 crew members to finish our training." Giffords was shot in the head at point-blank at an outdoors community meeting but is showing signs of recovery. Doctors announced Thursday she not only has opened her eyes but also begun physical therapy.

Sturckow will begin training next week at the Johnson Space Center in Houston with the rest of the STS-134 crew, which includes Greg H. Johnson, Michael Fincke, Roberto Vittori, Andrew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff.

"Mark is still the commander of STS-134," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office. 

The 14-day mission will deliver spare parts and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-- an experiment module to search for antimatter and dark matter.

Endeavour's STS-134 is one of the final two or three shuttle flights before NASA retires the orbiters this year. 

Discovery's STS-133 mission is targeted for launch Feb. 24. Atlantis is planned to fly the potential third mission in June, but funding remains uncertain.