U.S. shuttle Discovery lifts off after two delays

WASHINGTON. August 29. KAZINFORM The U.S. space shuttle Discovery lifted off midnight Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on a track to the International Space Station, Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

NASA TV showed the shuttle blasted off at 11:59 p.m. EDT (0359 GMT, Saturday). Its twin solid rocket boosters separated just over two minutes into the flight.

    The reusable boosters falls back toward the Atlantic Ocean, where they will land under parachutes and be retrieved by recovery ships.

    They are equipped with cameras to record the performance of Discovery's external tank and any foam loss seen during Discovery's ascent, with the glow from their engines illuminating the shuttle during the night launch.

    Discovery was originally scheduled to lift off early Tuesday. However, Tuesday's launch attempt was called off by thunderstorms and a Wednesday try was also postponed by a fuel valve trouble.

    Discovery's flight will deliver supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. Inside the shuttle's cargo bay is the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, a pressurized "moving van" that will be temporarily installed to the station. The module will deliver science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill.

    Discovery's 13-day mission will also include three space walks, Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.chionaview.cn for full version.