The space shuttle Endeavour launched late Wednesday afternoon on a mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour lifted off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 6:36 p.m. after a smooth countdown and entered orbit eight minutes later. The main purpose of the STS-118 mission is to install a new truss segment to the International Space Station and deliver additional equipment to the facility, including a new gyro. STS-118 is the first mission for teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan, whose association with NASA began more than 20 years ago. Morgan had been the backup for teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe, who died in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. The STS-118 mission is the first for Endeavour since STS-113 in late 2002. Endeavour underwent an overhaul while the other two orbiters, Discovery and Atlantis, returned to flight.
NASA – Space Shuttle