Space Shuttle Endeavour heads for the skies

[Rick]

NASA has described the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour as "flawless". The shuttle blasted off from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida late last night (UK time), starting its 14 day mission to the International Space Station without a hitch.

The space agency's top dog Michael Griffin enthused: "A launch operation doesn't get any better than this, it can't."

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/09/shuttle_lift_off/

[Rick]

The space shuttle Endeavour has begun an 11 to 14 day assembly mission to the International Space Station.

The shuttle blasted off as planned at 2336 BST (1836 EDT) on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission is the second of four that Nasa plans this year to finish the $100bn (£49.1bn) space station before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6936970.stm