Written by Derek Kessler on
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, today at 11:38 AM EDT. The seven person crew, led by veteran commander Pam Melroy, blasted through weather that threatened to delay today's launch. On board was the Harmony Node, an Italian-built connecting module that will enable future expansion of the International Space Station.
The STS-120 mission lifted off without a hitch on a planned 14 day long mission and will dock at the ISS on Thursday morning. In order to install the Harmony module, the shuttle's robotic arm will have to move a massive solar panel tower, making this one of the more complicated construction missions in the ISS's tumultuous history.
Also aboard Discovery is US astronaut Daniel Tani, who will be replacing Clayton Anderson aboard the ISS; Anderson has been onboard since May. There's one final bit of notable cargo, Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. Star Wars creator George Lucas was on hand to watch the launch, which the prop rode along on as part of a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Star Wars (for the record, it costs approximately $1000 per pound of cargo to launch the space shuttle).
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, today at 11:38 AM EDT. The seven person crew, led by veteran commander Pam Melroy, blasted through weather that threatened to delay today's launch. On board was the Harmony Node, an Italian-built connecting module that will enable future expansion of the International Space Station.
