NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LAUNCH PROVIDES SPECTACULAR FIREWORKS

07.04.06

Tracy Young/Allard Beutel
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

RELEASE: 45-06

NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LAUNCH PROVIDES SPECTACULAR FIREWORKS

The Space Shuttle Discovery is on its way to the International Space
Station after lifting off at 2:37:55 p.m. EDT Tuesday from NASA's
Kennedy Space Center, Fla. This was the first-ever space shuttle
launch on Independence Day.

"We're absolutely thrilled to be safely back in space again and are
looking forward to evaluating shuttle system ascent performance as
soon as possible," said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.

Discovery's mission, STS-121, is the second in NASA's Return to Flight
sequence. For 12 days, Discovery's crew members -- Commander Steve
Lindsey, Pilot Mark Kelly, and Mission Specialists Mike Fossum, Lisa
Nowak, Stephanie Wilson and Piers Sellers -- will continue testing
new safety equipment and procedures that were introduced on the first
Return to Flight mission, STS-114, last summer. They also will
deliver equipment, supplies, experiments and spare parts to the
station.

The STS-121 mission also will bring a third crew member, European
Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, to the orbiting laboratory. The
station has had two-person crews since May 2003.

Discovery is scheduled to dock with the station Thursday.

For the latest information on the STS-121 mission and its crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle


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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.nl