Image above: Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Kennedy Space Center. Image Credit: NASA

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Discovery’s night launch sends STS-116 to space station

Space Shuttle Discovery and a crew of seven astronauts lifted off Saturday from Kennedy Space Center at 8:47 p.m. EST.

After reaching orbit, Discovery’s crew set to work to open the payload bay doors, set up computers and equipment and check out the shuttle’s robotic arm. Heat shield inspections will begin Sunday with a station docking scheduled for Monday at 5:05 p.m.

In the firing room at the Launch Control Center, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach applauds the successful launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-116

The STS-116 crew members will dock to the International Space Station, install the new P5 truss structure and perform three spacewalks to rewire the station for electricity generated by a solar array delivered in September.

STS-116 will also swap crew members when mission specialist Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, becomes a flight engineer for Expedition 14. Taking Williams' place aboard Discovery for the ride home is European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, DF4TR, who has lived aboard the station since July.

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