KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Towers of flame propel space shuttle Endeavour into the dark sky past the lightning mast on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the launch of the STS-123 mission. Beneath the main engines are blue cones of light, the shock or mach diamonds that are a formation of shock waves in the exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system. Liftoff was on time at 2:28 a.m. EDT. Endeavour's crew will make a record-breaking 16-day mission to the International Space Station and deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Towers of flame propel space shuttle Endeavour into the dark sky past the lightning mast on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the launch of the STS-123 mission. Beneath the main engines are blue cones of light, the shock or mach diamonds that are a formation of shock waves in the exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system. Liftoff was on time at 2:28 a.m. EDT. Endeavour's crew will make a record-breaking 16-day mission to the International Space Station and deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews
SuperStock offers millions of photos, videos, and stock assets to creatives around the world. This image of KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Towers of flame propel space shuttle Endeavour into the dark sky past the lightning mast on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the launch of the STS-123 mission. Beneath the main engines are blue cones of light, the shock or mach diamonds that are a formation of shock waves in the exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system. Liftoff was on time at 2:28 a.m. EDT. Endeavour's crew will make a record-breaking 16-day mission to the International Space Station and deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews by Piemags/PL Photography Limited is available for licensing today.

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STS119-S-018 (15 March 2009) --- The Space Shuttle Discovery and its seven-member STS-119 crew head toward Earth orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. (EDT) on March 15, 2009 from launch pad 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are astronauts Lee Archambault, commander; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agencys Koichi Wakata, all mission specialists. Wakata will join Expedition 18 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the space station. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science.
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STS-125 Launch May 11, 2009
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STS117-S-026 (8 June 2007) --- The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-117 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 7:38 p.m. (EDT) on June 8, 2007. Onboard are astronauts Rick Sturckow, commander; Lee Archambault, pilot; Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, John "Danny" Olivas, Steven Swanson and Clayton Anderson, all mission specialists. Anderson will join Expedition 15 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the station. Atlantis will dock with the orbital outpost on Sunday, June 10, to begin a joint mission that will increase the complex's power generation capability. Using the shuttle and station robotic arms and conducting three scheduled spacewalks, the astronauts will install another set of giant solar array wings on the station and retract another array, preparing it for a future move.
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Space shuttle Atlantis is seen as it launches from pad 39A on Friday, July 8, 2011, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The launch of Atlantis, STS-135, is the final flight of the shuttle program, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- A perfect launch on a perfect Florida day! Framed by two immense billows of steam, Space Shuttle Endeavour breaks its Earthly tethers to soar into a clear blue sky. Liftoff of mission STS-99 occurred at 12:43:40 p.m. EST. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), STS-99 will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the SRTM could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. The mission is expected to last 11days, with Endeavour landing at KSC Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 4:36 p.m. EST. This is the 97th Shuttle flight and 14th for Shuttle Endeavour
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Endeavour clears the lightning mast as it hurtles into space on mission STS-111 to the International Space Station. Liftoff occurred at 5:22:49 p.m. EDT. The STS-111 crew includes Commander Kenneth Cockrell, Pilot Paul Lockhart, and Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz and Philippe Perrin (CNES), as well as the Expedition Five crew members Valeri Korzun, Peggy Whitson and Sergei Treschev. This mission marks the 14th Shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the third Shuttle mission this year. Mission STS-111 is the 18th flight of Endeavour and the 110th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Seen through the foliage from across the Turn Basin, space shuttle Endeavour's solid rocket boosters roar to life at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Endeavour began its final flight, the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station, at 8:56 a.m. EDT on May 16. Endeavour and its six-member crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), Express Logistics Carrier-3, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the space station.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The brilliance of the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is reflected in nearby waters. Liftoff of the Shuttle on mission STS-112 occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.
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STS120-S-046 (23 Oct. 2007) --- The Space Shuttle Discovery and its seven-member STS-120 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 11:38:19 a.m. (EDT). Onboard are astronauts Pam Melroy, commander; George Zamka, pilot; Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, European Space Agency's (ESA) Paolo Nespoli and Daniel Tani, all mission specialists. Discovery will link up with the station on Thursday, Oct. 25, to begin a joint mission to continue construction by delivering the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. During the 14-day mission, the crew will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Flaming rockets propel Space Shuttle Atlantis away from the smoke and steam below and into the sky for a rendezvous with the International Space Station on mission STS-115. Liftoff was on-time at 11:14:55 a.m. EDT. After launch attempts were scrubbed Aug. 27 and 29 and Sept. 3 and 8 due to weather and technical concerns, this launch was executed perfectly. Mission STS-115 is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. During the mission, Atlantis' astronauts will deliver and install the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment on the station. The girder-like truss includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics and will provide one-fourth of the total power-generation capability for the completed station. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Endeavour races into the night sky past the lightning mast and trailing twin columns of fire after liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The clouds of smoke and steam roll across the launch pad. Liftoff on the STS-123 mission was on time at 2:28 a.m. EDT. Endeavour's crew will make a record-breaking 16-day mission to the International Space Station and deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A plume of smoke builds at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A as space shuttle Atlantis' twin solid rocket boosters ignite to propel the spacecraft skyward at 2:20 p.m. EDT on May 14. On board Atlantis, for its last planned flight, are six veteran NASA astronauts. Atlantis' primary payload for the STS-132 mission is the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1, which will provide additional storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft aboard the International Space Station. STS-132 is the 132nd shuttle flight, the 32nd for Atlantis and the 34th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On pillars of fire, Space shuttle Discovery's liftoff is reflected in the water as it roars off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida beginning its final flight to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission. Launch was at 4:53 p.m. EST.Discovery and its six-member crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the orbiting outpost. Discovery is flying on its 39th mission and is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This is the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Leaping off Launch Pad 39A from amid the clouds of smoke and steam, space shuttle Atlantis hurtles into space for a rendezvous with the International Space Station on mission STS-122. Liftoff was on time at 2:45 p.m. EST. This is the third launch attempt for Atlantis since December 2007 to carry the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory to the station. During the 11-day mission, the crew's prime objective is to attach the laboratory to the Harmony module, adding to the station's size and capabilities.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Viewed from Astronaut Rd., Space Shuttle Discovery breaks away from the cocoon of smoke below, blazing a trail into the dawn sky. Liftoff of Discovery on mission STS-102 occurred at 6 42 09 EST on the eighth flight to the International Space Station
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Like a phoenix rising from the flames, space shuttle Atlantis emerges from the exhaust cloud building on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight.
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July 8, 2011 - Space shuttle Atlantis is seen as it launches from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch of Atlantis, STS-135, is the final flight of the shuttle program, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station.
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STS-125 Launch May 11, 2009
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Propelled by columns of fire, space shuttle Endeavour hurtles into the cloud-washed sky from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A on the STS-127 mission. Liftoff was on-time at 6:03 p.m. EDT. This was the sixth launch attempt for the STS-127 mission. The launch was scrubbed on June 13 and June 17 when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. The mission was postponed July 11, 12 and 13 due to weather conditions near the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy that violated rules for launching, and lightning issues. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section in the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews
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STS-125 Launch May 11, 2009
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Clouds of smoke and steam fill Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Endeavour races toward the sky on columns of fire on the STS-127 mission. Liftoff was on-time at 6:03 p.m. EDT. Today was the sixth launch attempt for the STS-127 mission. The launch was scrubbed on June 13 and June 17 when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. The mission was postponed July 11, 12 and 13 due to weather conditions near the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy that violated rules for launching, and lightning issues. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section in the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station.
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