space
shuttle Discovery
carrying Christer Fuglesang and six other astronauts made a successful launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
"Finally! Sweden is in space,''
read a large headline in national tabloid Expressen, summing up the
feelings of a nation gripped by a cosmic fever not seen since American astronaut Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in
1969.
Fuglesang's adventure has received
play-by-play media coverage for weeks, and the shuttle launch was broadcast
live on two TV networks even though it took place at 2:47 a.m. Swedish time
(0147 GMT).
Fuglesang, 49, has received
training from both NASA and the European Space Agency, but has waited for more
than a decade for his first space flight, and the mission to the International Space
Station has been followed closely by politicians and royalty alike.
Prime Minister Fredrik
Reinfeldt said he spoke to Fuglesang via telephone shortly before liftoff to
wish him good luck.
"Now I hope the trip goes
according to plan, and that (his) work in space goes well,'' Reinfeldt told
Swedish news agency TT through a spokeswoman.
Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf also joined
in the well-wishing.
"I hope he has a small
Swedish flag with him to put on the space station,'' the figurehead monarch
said in a statement.
Norway has also followed the mission with
a sense of pride, as Fuglesang's father is Norwegian. Newspapers in both
countries carried a picture Sunday of Fuglesang onboard Discovery holding a
sign with the text "Heja Sverige, Heja Norge'' - or "Go Sweden, Go Norway'' - on
their Web sites.
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