Space shuttle Endeavour seamlessly lifted off into the blue skies above Florida on Wednesday with a seven-member crew on board. Photo by NASA TV
Space shuttle Endeavour seamlessly lifted off into the blue skies above Florida on Wednesday with a seven-member crew on board, CNN reported.
The team headed for the international space station to perform assembly work, repairs and deliver supplies.
The shuttle lifted off as scheduled at 6:36 p.m. ET. NASA saw four or five pieces of debris fall off during the launch, but they didn't have enough speed to cause any concern, said Bill Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator of Space Operations.
"The debris looks small, it didn't seem like anything hit anything, and if it did, it did not have enough velocity to do any damage. We will continue to review the data and continue to look at the pictures," Gerstenmaier said, as cited by CNN.
NASA has been extremely watchful for any damage to a shuttle's external tank or heat shield after the 2003 Columbia disaster.
The Endeavour crew -- six Americans and one Canadian -- includes Barbara Morgan, a former Idaho teacher who was selected as teacher Christa McAuliffe's backup for the doomed Challenger mission 21 years ago.