Discovery goes to space with a nighttime launch

Discovery goes to space with a nighttime launch

NASA successfully managed to launch the Space Shuttle Discovery on its second nighttime launch attempt.

The shuttle lifted off at 8:47:35 p.m. EST at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Discovery is heading towards the International Space Station and the astronauts on this mission would work on hooking up a new electrical system.

This is required to enable them to install additional laboratory modules on the Space Station. Discovery is scheduled to dock with the ISS sometime tomorrow.

Missions like these are critical for NASA as they are working hard on completing work on the International Space Station. They need to complete the work on ISS before the space shuttle fleet is due to retire in 2010.