spacetoday.net: Discovery lifts off

Posted: Tue, Jul 4, 2006, 4:09 PM ET (2009 GMT)
STS-121: launch (NASA)

The space shuttle Discovery lifted off Tuesday afternoon on the first space shuttle mission in nearly a year. Discovery started STS-121 mission with a liftoff at 2:37:55 pm EDT (1837:55 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch took place on the third attempt to put the shuttle in orbit; launch attempts on Saturday and Sunday were scrubbed because of weather. NASA proceeded with the launch after investigating a crack in external tank foam discovered early Monday and concluding that the crack, and the small piece of foam that fell off, did not pose a safety risk to the shuttle. Discovery will dock with the ISS on Thursday morning after performing a survey of its exterior, looking for any damage to its tiles and panels from the launch. Discovery will remain docked to the station for over a week, delivering supplies as well as a new station crewmember, German astronaut Thomas Reiter. Two to three EVAs are also scheduled for the mission.