Multiple pieces of foam insulation fell from the ship’s external tank during the early moments of flight, but it was not immediately clear whether the shuttle’s fragile heat shield suffered any significant impact damage.

Endeavour launched from launch pad 39A at 6:03:10 p.m. EDT and will rendezvous with the ISS on Friday to work on attaching an experiment platform to the Japanese Kibo lab module, replacing aging solar-array batteries, and delivering critical spare parts and components.

NASA managers downplay possible impact damage to the shuttle.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch Video

Here’s the launch video from CBS:

(via CNET News)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Launches on Sixth Try : quality content from The Daily Inquirer

The Cape Canaveral crew are now prepping the Space Shuttle Endeavour for a nighttime launch on a space station remodeling mission.

Preparations include filling the shuttle’s external tanks with liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

NASA officials calculated that the weather has a 70% chance of giving the Endeavour a good launch window and will give mission control the go ahead for the 7:55 p.m. launch. About a fourth of all shuttle missions start at night.

The Endeavour is heading over to the International Space Station(ISS) to deliver and rework a new bathroom, kitchenette, an exercise machine, two bedrooms and a system capable of turning urine into drinking water.

Weather great for Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch : quality content from The Daily Inquirer