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Space shuttle Endeavour blasts into night sky

Cape Canaveral: Space shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven blasted into the night sky on Saturday, 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 0625 IST on Saturday , 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.”

The Endeavour’s astronauts will double as kitchen and bathroom installers once they arrive at the space station on 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 night time 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 was not secured by workers.

The 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. — AP

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