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Shuttle Launch 'Amazing, Inspiring'

MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER / The Tampa Tribune

Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off right on time Tuesday.

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By KURT LOFT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 23, 2007

Space shuttle Discovery soars above launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., today.

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CAPE CANAVERAL - Among the sweetest words in the NASA lexicon are "negative return," and they were met with applause as the shuttle Discovery roared into orbit with seven astronauts aboard.

The technical jargon means the crew is safely on its way and the shuttle too far away to return to Kennedy Space Center in the event of an emergency. After a picture-perfect countdown, Discovery blasted off at 11:38 a.m., despite the threat of weather and a nagging piece of ice on a fuel line.

Belching 7 million pounds of thrust and letting loose a near-deafening roar, the shuttle ripped through the blue Florida sky above the Atlantic and within minutes placed its astronauts in orbit. The crew immediately went to work on a 14-day mission to continue construction of the International Space Station.

One of the thousands of spectators who came to watch the launch was Gov. Charlie Crist, who stood in awe as the shuttle blasted skyward.

"It's amazing, inspiring, and it happens right here in Florida," he said. "Our Florida."

The biggest concern Tuesday morning was the buildup of ice on a fuel line on the giant external tank. Technicians made an inspection on the pad and decided it would pose no threat to the shuttle if it were to break free during liftoff.

Falling ice and tank foam has plagued the shuttle program for years. A piece of debris struck the wing of Columbia during liftoff in 2003, leading to the vehicle's destruction on re-entry.

Discovery is making the 23rd visit by a shuttle crew to the orbiting station. The mission goal is to deliver a pressurized module called Harmony. The 15-ton connector will expand the working space on the orbiting platform and allow for more modules to be connected on future missions. In December, another shuttle crew will deliver the European Columbus module.

Onboard Discovery are commander Pamela Melroy; pilot George D. Zamka; and mission specialists Scott E. Parazynski, Douglas H. Wheelock, Stephanie D. Wilson and Paolo A. Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy. Discovery also is ferrying flight engineer Daniel Tani to the station and will bring home astronaut Clayton Anderson.

Discovery is scheduled to return to Florida on Nov. 6.

Reporter Kurt Loft can be reached at (813) 259-7570 or kloft@tampatrib.com.

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