Space shuttle Endeavour launches with Japanese lab

[freedomnorth]

Source: Reuters

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour blasted off from a seaside Florida launch pad on Tuesday to deliver part of a long-awaited Japanese space laboratory and a Canadian-built robotic system to the International Space Station.

Piercing the still of night with a thunderous boom and a flash of white-hot flame, the spaceship lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 2:28 a.m. EDT and disappeared swiftly into clouds to begin a 16-day flight.

"We'd like to say konnichiwa, domo arigato and banzai (hello, thank you and banzai)," commander Dominic Gorie said shortly before liftoff, speaking some Japanese in a nod to that country's important role in the mission.

"God truly has blessed us with a beautiful night here to launch so let's light 'em up and give 'em a show."

With the arrival of Japan's lab, all 15 partner countries in the space station venture -- the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and 11 members of the European Space Agency -- are represented in orbit. Europe's first permanent space lab, Columbus, was delivered to the station last month.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0940135720080311

[Thepricebreaker]

1. im just waiting for someone to bitch for some retarded issue.... n/t

[Mika]

2. looks like you are the first.

:+