Last Night Launch a Success

February 8, 2010 - Cape Canaveral, Florida — After a one-day delay due to clouds, Space Shuttle Endeavour lit up the predawn sky at 4:14 a.m. EST today as it made its last scheduled launch in darkness. The launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center began a 13-day flight to the International Space Station and the final year of shuttle operations. "What a beautiful launch we had this morning,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operation, during a post-launch news conference. “The orbiter performed extremely well. This is a great start to a very complicated mission." Jean-Jacques Dordain, European Space Agency director general, thanked NASA, the crew and the ground teams for "a very beautiful launch." Dordain said: "It was an important event. Even more important for us because the shuttle was full of European hardware." Endeavour's STS-130 mission will include three spacewalks and the delivery of the Tranquility node, which will provide additional room for crewmembers and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to Tranquility is a cupola with seven windows, which houses a robotic control station and which will provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. After the node and cupola are added, the orbiting laboratory will be approximately 90 percent complete. Shortly before liftoff, Commander George Zamka said the many teams for their work. “We'll see you in a couple of weeks. It's time to go fly." Zamka is joined on the flight by Pilot Terry Virts, making his first trip to space, and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken. Patrick will tweet from orbit during the mission. He can be followed at http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Nicholas Endeavour should arrive at the space station in three days, and its first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for 10:01 p.m. February 20. NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of the mission, featuring live mission events, daily status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Space shuttle Endeavour launches from Launch Pad 39A on its STS-130 mission to deliver the Tranquility node and Cupola to the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA TV Space shuttle Endeavour roars off Launch Pad 39A on its STS-130 mission to the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick, Pilot Terry Virts, Mission Specialists Robert Behnken and Kathryn Hire, Commander George Zamka and Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson. Image credit: NASA

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