NASA gets shuttle off the ground

After a 29-month hiatus to fix the space shuttle and rehabilitate its safety culture, NASA is back in space.

Shuttle Discovery and a crew of seven astronauts blasted off a Florida launchpad at 10:39 a.m. Tuesday, marking the agency's comeback from the February 2003 Columbia disaster. Administrator Michael Griffin was jubilant when speaking to reporters at the Kennedy Space Center launch site as the shuttle completed its first 90-minute orbit of Earth. "Take note of what you saw here today," he said, "[of the] power and the majesty of launch, of course, but also the competence and the professionalism, the sheer gall, the pluckiness, the grittiness of this team that pulled this program out of the depths of despair…and made it fly."

Liftoff came after a lengthy recovery period during which NASA mourned seven astronauts who were killed in a re-entry breakup over Texas, and struggled to eliminate sources of debris that could cause fatal damage to another shuttle.

During its 12-day mission, Discovery will deliver supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. It will be the scene of three spacewalks by astronauts who will make repairs to the station and test new techniques for inspecting and fixing the shuttle's delicate heat shield in flight.

A few hours after liftoff, mission commander Eileen Collins radioed thanks from the shuttle crew to the engineers and technicians who returned the shuttle to flight. "A nice ascent with no malfunctions - you couldn't ask for a better flight," she said. "We're looking forward to seeing you in 12 or 13 days for the entry and landing."

"You got it, Eileen. We'll bring you home safe then," astronaut Ken Hamm replied from Mission Control in Houston.

A faulty fuel gauge that scrubbed the first launch attempt on July 13 posed no trouble for ground controllers, the shuttle and its crew. But Discovery's climb to space was not without incident.

Video cameras placed on the orbiter to record key liftoff milestones, including jettisons of the shuttle's two booster rockets and external fuel tank, caught a piece of debris flying off the fuel tank shortly after the rockets separated. The debris did not appear to make contact with the shuttle.

It was a chunk of insulating foam from the fuel tank that poked a hole in Columbia's left wing during ascent in January 2003, leading to the orbiter's demise 17 days later.

In a news conference about two hours after Discovery's liftoff, NASA officials briefing reporters had not reviewed the video. They downplayed the incident but promised a full report after all launch imagery is analyzed.

Launch director Michael Leinbach told reporters that NASA's recovery will not be complete until Discovery is safely back on Earth. "We have a 12-day mission ahead of us and then a landing and then we can claim we've come full circle," he said.

Security at the launch site was tight as first lady Laura Bush watched liftoff from a viewing area for VIPs, located about three miles west of the pad. In a statement, President Bush wished the astronauts a safe and successful mission. "I thank the men and women of NASA who have dedicated themselves to putting our space program back on track," he said.