Shuttle Launch 'As Good As it Gets,' NASA Says

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The successful launch of NASA's shuttle Endeavour late Wednesday was a textbook example of U.S. spaceflight, the agency's top official said as the orbiter's astronaut crew circled the Earth.  

"The launch operation doesn't get any better than this, it really can't," NASA chief Michael Griffin said of the space shot just before sundown.

A stubborn shuttle hatch, a small crack in external tank insulation and some falling debris during Endeavour's ascent were all minor issues that did not preclude liftoff, mission managers said during a post-launch briefing here at Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

The $2.2-billion orbiter carried teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan and the rest of the seven-person STS-118 crew into space at 6:36:42 p.m. (2236:42 GMT) on a construction flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

The launch ended a 22-year wait to reach space for Morgan, who originally served as the backup for New Hampshire high school teacher Christa McAuliffe during NASA's Teacher in Space program in 1985. NASA's 1986 Challenger accident claimed the lives of McAuliffe and six other astronauts.

"It's always good to see a friend on orbit," said NASA launch director Mike Leinbach said of Morgan, now working in zero gravity. "I know she's having a whale of a time right now."

Commanded by veteran shuttle flyer Scott Kelly, the seven astronauts aboard Endeavour will continue construction of the International Space Station (ISS), which is expected have a mass of 1 million pounds (453,592 kilograms) and rival a U.S. football field in length when complete.

Pending investigation

While "class is in session" for the seven astronauts high above the planet, NASA continues its investigation of alleged alcohol abuse among astronauts prior to launch. So far, not a shred of evidence has appeared after sifting through records of the last 10 years, said NASA spokesperson David Mould.

"We surely are not perfect and we know it every day," Griffin said of the negative publicity drawn to the space agency during the past year.

"It's not a really credible set of charges, but … I take it as my responsibility to find out," he added. "When something unpleasant comes up we take it on head-on, we deal with it, and we resolve it."

Griffin said that NASA will divulge any information it digs up through record searching and personnel interviews. The agency's biggest focus, however, is completing the growing ISS before its shuttle program retires in September 2010.

Future focus

The STS-118 crew will play a major role in the completion of the ISS by adding a starboard (S5) truss spacer, delivering fresh cargo and making repairs.

If NASA launches between four and five missions each year, Griffin said, astronauts can finish building the space station before it's too late.

"If we just stay on plan, we will finish easily," Griffin said, noting that the space agency has historically launched as many missions yearly.

If time allows during Endeavour's 11-to-14 day mission, Morgan and other astronauts will participate in three educational downlinks with U.S. students. The crew has also carried 10 million basil seeds into space, which the crew will return to earth and deliver to schools across the country as part of an engineering design challenge.

In addition to Morgan and Kelly, pilot Charlie Hobaugh and mission specialists Tracy Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio, Alvin Drew, Jr. and Canadian astronaut Dave Williams launched into space aboard Endeavour. Mission planners expect the shuttle to dock at the ISS Friday at 1:53 p.m. EDT (1753 GMT).

NASA is broadcasting Endeavour's STS-118 mission live on NASA TV. Click here for mission updates and SPACE.com's NASA TV feed.

• VIDEO: Teaching the Future: Teacher-Astronaut Barbara Morgan
• VIDEO: Endeavour's STS-118 Launch Animation
• Complete Space Shuttle Mission Coverage