Endeavour Blasts Off Into Night Sky

Shuttle Crew To Spend Thanksgiving Remodeling International Space Station

(AP)  Space shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven blasted into the night sky Friday, bound for the international space station and the most extreme home makeover project ever attempted by astronauts.

The shuttle rose off its launch pad at 7:55 p.m. EST, right on time, in a brilliant flash of light visible for miles around.

"We're about to get an extreme home makeover. It's an exciting day," space station commander Mike Fincke radioed to Mission Control. "It doesn't get better than this, my friends."

Endeavour's astronauts will double as kitchen and bathroom installers once they arrive at the space station Sunday, hooking up extra cooking and sleeping equipment so the space station's crew can expand next year. They will deliver a new refrigerator as well, giving station residents much-desired cold drinks for a change.

The nighttime launch was a special treat for onlookers. Only about a quarter of all shuttle flights begin in darkness, and this one made for a spectacular show. The moonrise that preceded the launch was an extra touch; the nearly full moon provided a breathtaking backdrop.

"The vehicle's in good shape, the weather's beautiful," launch director Mike Leinbach. "Good luck, Godspeed, and have a Happy Thanksgiving on orbit."

"It's our turn to take home improvement to a new level," replied commander Christopher Ferguson.

NASA almost called off the launch at the last minute because a door on the launch pad that was not secured by workers. Launch controllers assured everyone that the door would not strike Endeavour and that, at worst, the room used to gain access to the shuttle would sustain damage.

Endeavour and its crew will spend 15 days in orbit, including the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 27.

Filling the payload bay are thousands of pounds of equipment for the space station - enough to allow NASA to double the size of the space station's three-person crew by June.

Among the additions: two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchenette, exercise machine and NASA's revolutionary new recycling system designed to turn urine and condensation into drinking water.

All this will transform the space station into a five-bedroom, two-bath, two-kitchen home capable of housing six residents.

"In a way, this is a working man's flight," said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.

"This is something that's the size of a small ship, and it needs a lot to keep it running. This is one of the flights where we deliver those things," Griffin told The Associated Press.

The accouterments - as Griffin calls them - also are intended to make life "bearable" for the astronauts spending months there.

Endeavour's five men and two women will help install all the new equipment, with help from the space station's three residents.

The shuttle crew also will take on a lube job at the orbiting outpost, which was soaring 220 miles above the South Pacific when Endeavour thundered off.

A massive joint that rotates half of the space station's solar wings toward the sun has been jammed for more than a year; it's clogged with metal grit from grinding parts. The spacewalking astronauts will spend most of their time working on that joint and also add extra grease to keep a twin joint working.

NASA hopes to stretch the mission to 16 days if possible, which would put touchdown late in the Thanksgiving weekend.

The space agency has just 10 more shuttle flights, including this one, before the fleet is retired in 2010 to make way for a new rocketship capable of flying to the space station and, eventually, carrying astronauts to the moon. An additional shuttle flight or two could be in NASA's future, however, to try to narrow the projected five-year gap between the last shuttle flight and the first manned launch of the new spaceship.

[displeased]

Time for NASA to throw another party.
Posted by kevinkkloste

They should, they deserve it.

[earache4]

Good to see we can still afford some things....

[kawosa]

Right, the working mans flight. We electronic maintenance types have been toying with the idea of dawning the silver suit to repair broken satellites and future RADAR surveillance equipment.

Now that''s what you might say is a Long distance trouble-call.

But then, we could always do the usual by contracting that part out to the Asians.

[yeswedid]

Good to see the USA getting back in the space program again. Its really disappointing to see countries like China way ahead of us in space study.

[sincity_q]

I sure would love to see a shuttle launch before they retire the fleet...

[snowman4406]

Wait - India has been building their space program so they can bid on these tech support contracts!

The astronauts may not understand the instructions on how to turn urine into drinking water, but I am sure they will not mind because the cost will be much lower.

[nordeck52]

Best of luck to all the astronauts taking part in this mission!

[guadalcanal3]

yeswedid..You are mistaken...China is NOT way ahead of us in space...in fact they are considerably behind....Don''t forget...We''ve landed men on the Moon 6 times!...40 years ago!...That''s 12 Americans who have actually set foot on the Moon...China has yet to send even one to the Moon and back..They''ve only been in orbit for what is it again?..3 times?...China has nothing even close to the Space Shuttle...and What about Galileo, Viking,Pathfinder,Sojourner,Cassini,Ranger,Magellan,Hubble Space Telescope,Chandra Space telescope etc..etc..etc.....and oh yes all of those internet satellites (that you blog on)...and the Pioneer Space probes that are now flying outside the Solar System in Deep Space...No country in the world is even close in space science probes run by JPL/NASA...in fact 90% of of planetary probes are USA...Don''t get me wrong...we cannot afford to get complacent aka "the tortoise and the Hare"...China can and will make up for lost time. (they have lot''s of money...and the Chinese are very very smart.)So we need to keep the pace...but make no mistake about it...when it comes to space science the USA is second to nobody...not even Russia.

[hissteps4u]

"Wait - India has been building their space program so they can bid on these tech support contracts!"

When they can learn to speak clear and understandable english then perhaps they can Bid on contracts. i am so sick and tired of companies outsourcing call centers in India the cultural differences and lack of good english skills make calls so disruptive, i complain and complain but to no avail.

They would rather pay some person overseas $1.50 an hour than allow an american to answer the phone who can get a responce in a minute when it takes me over ten minutes of attempting to get through to someone who does not speak english as a primary language

[good-o16]

Wishing many of God Blessings on our Astronauts and may they have fun doing their mission. God Bless the Astronauts'' waiting loved ones may they find joy together upon the Astrinauts safe retun.

Wait - India has been building their space program so they can bid on these tech support contracts!
The astronauts may not understand the instructions on how to turn urine into drinking water, but I am sure they will not mind because the cost will be much lower. Posted by snowman4406
---
Pardon my failure to grasp the nuances of English vernacular, but I was wondering why an unmanned Chandrayaan would be concerned with either urine or with drinking water. And for whom would "instructions" be written or spoken? Please do not call the help line for answers; there will be a twenty minute wait. You are twelfth in queue.

[twistedsister1959]

America needs heroes again like the astronauts and test pilots of the early space missions. We sat spell spound waiting for every word on these missions. 40 yrs ago and I can still remember where I was when the words "The Eagle has landed" were spoken. When you look up to the night sky and see the moon, remember it was the Americans who placed our flag there first and looked upon the Earth in sheer awe. The benefits of space travel have helped consumers all over the globe. With new inventions and technology that can only come to light with such grand and spectaular visions from those of us with the "Right Stuff", America will succeed.

[earache4]

Endeavour Blasts Off Into Night Sky, Leaving a Glowing Trail of Burnt Taxpayer''s Money....

[hsinco-2009]

For National Security sake, I hope that the shuttles are not de-commissioned and not flyable until our new low earth orbit vehicle is ready to fly.

We can''t be reliant on the Russians to get to ISS once the Shuttle program is supposed to end and the new veihicle is ready.

Now going back to the moon and to Mars at taxpayer expense is a bad idea.

[nordeck52]

Endeavour Blasts Off Into Night Sky, Leaving a Glowing Trail of Burnt Taxpayer''''s Money....

Posted by earache4 at 01:57 PM : Nov 15, 2008

Oh, come on. This mission is a very important one! If the recycling system they''re testing works, then we''ll have another way to save water! Besides, the space program has never been a waste of money. Considering we wouldn''t have any of the electronic conveniences we have nowadays without it...

[seer57]

Wonder what spy program is going with them this time?

[earache4]

Oh, come on. This mission is a very important one! If the recycling system they''re testing works, then we''ll have another way to save water! Besides, the space program has never been a waste of money. Considering we wouldn''t have any of the electronic conveniences we have nowadays without it...
Posted by nordeck52 at 04:14 PM

Not to mention some of the most spectacular disasters caught on film....