The wildfires in California as seen from the International Space Station, where Discovery will dock Thursday morning.
About an hour after launch, the Discovery crew began setting up the systems and equipment necessary to live and work in space and to prepare for the 7:35 a.m. Thursday docking with the International Space Station.
The 14-day mission includes five spacewalks and will deliver the Harmony module that will expand the living space on the International Space Station.
Piercing a light layer of clouds, Discovery lifted off at 11:38 a.m. EDT, launching despite a chunk of ice on a fuel line that appeared to be melting as liftoff approached.
Main Engine Cutoff was confirmed some nine minutes into the flawless flight.
On the 23rd shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-120 will deliver the Italian-built Harmony module for the station.
Pamela A. Melroy commands the mission, her third shuttle flight. She is the second woman to command a shuttle. George D. Zamka serves as pilot. Mission specialists are Scott E. Parazynski, Douglas H. Wheelock, Stephanie D. Wilson and Paolo A. Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy.
Expedition 15/16 Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson will return from the ISS with Discovery's crew, who are carrying his replacment, Daniel Tani, to the station.
The 14-day mission ends Nov. 6.
Look over our STS-120 launch day extras page.
No comments:
Post a Comment