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.
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