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KSC - Dec 5, 2001 The US space shuttle Endeavour blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center here on its fourth launch try, and was en route to the International Space Station with a replacement crew. Endeavour's launch was delayed three times, most recently by bad weather over the space center Tuesday. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had earlier pushed back the launch twice due to problems with the docking of a Russian cargo ship at the station, rectified Monday by a spacewalk completed by two Russian cosmonauts. "We are all aware that for over 200 years and certainly over the last two months, freedom rings loud and clear across this country. But right here and right now, it's time to let freedom roar," shuttle commander Dominic Gorie said a few minutes before lift off. "Let's light them up." The shuttle is taking to the station its fourth long-term crew -- Russian commander Yuri Onufrienko and Americans Carl Walz and Dan Bursch -- and is due to return to earth December 16 with the current crew members, who have been on the station since August. The shuttle is also carrying the Italian Raffaello module, laden with 3.5 tonnes of equipment, food, supplies and materials for scientific experiments. It was the first US space shuttle launch since September 11 when hijacked airliners left some 3,500 people dead and missing in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Tight security surrounded the space center during the launch. Officials have ordered all air traffic within a 55-kilometer (34-mile) radius of the launch pad to be frozen through late Wednesday, while F-15 Eagles and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters have been deployed nearby. Among the experiments being carried into space aboard the shuttle is Starshine 2, an atmospheric observation satellite designed by students. "Starshine looks very much like a disco ball," with hundreds of polished mirrors on its globular surface, according to Endeavour mission specialist Daniel Tani. Starshine 2 will be the third satellite of Project Starshine -- the Student Tracked Atmospheric Research Satellite for Heuristic International Networking Experiment -- to be deployed. More than 25,000 students from 26 countries will track Starshine 2 as it orbits Earth for eight months at an altitude of 387 kilometers (240 miles), using the information they collect to calculate the density of the Earth's upper atmosphere. Related Links Shuttle and ISS Portal at NASA SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
NASA Gives Green Light To Endeavour For Tuesday Launch
Cape Canaveral - Dec 5, 2001The US space shuttle Endeavour was set Wednesday to make its fourth launch attempt in a week, after delays due to technical problems and bad weather.
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