'Space Night' gets students prepped for Kelly's shuttle mission

Students at Mesa Verde Elementary held a Space Night on Thursday as Tucson and the nation prepare for the Space Shuttle Endeavor's final mission on April 29.

Christina-Taylor Green, the 9-year-old girl killed in the Jan. 8 Tucson Tragedy, attended Mesa Verde, 1661 West Sage Street, near North La Canada Drive and West Magee Road.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' husband, Commander Mark Kelly, specifically chose Mesa Verde to be part of the mission.

Students, parents and teachers got to experience rocket launches, an anti-gravity ride and an inflatable planetarium.

Next month, NASA will provide the school with a 35-minute downlink with the International Space Station so students can talk to Kelly and the other astronauts during Endeavour's final mission.