Return To Space

Right on schedule — sort of, if you don't count a two-week delay — space shuttle Discovery lifted off Tuesday morning into the mostly clear skies of Florida.

It was the first U.S. shuttle launch since the Columbia accident 2½ years ago.

There were no holds and no delays during the countdown, and the launch appeared to be without problems.

Close-up video showed a chunk of something clearly flew off the shuttle, reports CBS News Correspondent Barry Bagnato. CBS News Space Consultant Bill Harwood says the debris did not appear to hit the space shuttle.

Asked about the debris at a noon press conference, NASA administrator Wayne Hale said an imaging team is studying the launch "frame by frame" to determine if anything happened. The agency did not immediately confirm that any debris broke off shuttle.

Space program employees and relatives of both the Discovery and Columbia crews watched nervously as the shuttle rose from its pad at 10:39 a.m., climbed into a hazy midsummer sky, pierced two decks of clouds, and headed out over the ocean in the most scrutinized launch in NASA history. Two chase planes and more than 100 cameras documented the ascent from every possible angle to capture any sign of flying debris of the sort that doomed the last flight.

Video cameras attached to the space shuttle provided breathtaking pictures to viewers back on earth, but the purpose was to check whether any of the foam insulation came off during the launch.

The multitude of images will not be fully analyzed — and NASA will not give a final verdict on whether Discovery is safe to return to Earth — until halfway through the 12-day flight.

The fuel-gauge problem that thwarted a launch attempt two weeks ago did not resurface before liftoff, to NASA's great relief, and the countdown was remarkably smooth. The space agency had been prepared to bend its safety rules to get the shuttle flying.

Discovery commander Eileen Collins' crew consisted of pilot James Kelly, flight engineer Stephen Robinson, Andrew Thomas, Wendy Lawrence, Charles Camarda and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi.

During an early morning meal, crew members sported matching Hawaiian shirts. They smiled for a NASA television camera as Robinson strummed a guitar.

Rookie Noguchi held up a sign reading "out to launch," reports CBS News Correspondent Peter King

Tests Tuesday morning show all of the engine cutoff — ECO — sensors in Discovery's hydrogen tank appeared to be working properly, reports Harwood.
Discovery was grounded July 13 when hydrogen ECO sensor No. 2 did not respond properly to a pre-launch test. Despite a week-and-a-half of exhaustive troubleshooting, engineers were never able to recreate the problem and the issue remained an "unexplained anomaly" going into today's countdown.

But the testing indicated the problem was not generic and NASA managers were prepared to amend a launch commit criterion requiring four-of-four sensors to permit a launch. None was needed.

Only two sensors are needed to do the job. But ever since NASA's return to space in 1988 after the Challenger explosion, the space agency has decreed that all four have to work.

The fuel sensors are designed to prevent the main engines from running too long or not long enough, in case the fuel tank is leaking or some other major breakdown occurs. An engine shutdown at the wrong time could prove catastrophic, forcing the astronauts to attempt a risky emergency landing overseas, or leading to a ruptured engine.

Discovery's launch is NASA's biggest comeback ever, says CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann. Riding along was America's confidence in the space program — and the space program's confidence in itself.

The mission promised to be not only an appraisal of changes in NASA's safety culture, but also a test of the fuel tank that was redesigned after the Columbia disaster to minimize the chances of debris falling off.

Columbia's fuel tank lost a large chunk of foam insulation at liftoff. The debris slammed into the left wing, smashing a hole that proved catastrophic during re-entry Feb. 1, 2003. All seven astronauts were killed.

NASA removed the responsible section of foam and installed heaters in its place to prevent ice buildup from the super-chilled fuel, since flying ice can be as lethal as foam debris. Engineers added a heater in another ice-prone spot on the tank, and a special crew planned to make extra checks for fuel-tank ice during the final portion of the countdown.

"I think we're all struggling a little bit with the ghosts of Columbia and therefore we want to make sure we do it right," said mission director Wayne Hale.

Discovery had only until the beginning of August to fly to the space station on a 12-day supply and repair mission; the next launch opportunity will not come until Sept. 9.

The launch window was dictated by the space station's position and NASA's insistence on a daylight liftoff to provide good views for the more than 100 cameras that will be checking for any Columbia-type launch damage.

While in orbit, Discovery's crew will inspect the most vulnerable areas of the spacecraft, using a new 50-foot, laser-tipped boom. They also will practice repairing samples of deliberately damaged thermal tile and panels.