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| Space shuttle finally blasts off | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The US space agency Nasa has successfully launched the space shuttle Endeavour - at the sixth attempt. | The US space agency Nasa has successfully launched the space shuttle Endeavour - at the sixth attempt. |
| Earlier launches at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida were called off because of bad weather and fuel leaks. | Earlier launches at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida were called off because of bad weather and fuel leaks. |
| The crew will spend 11 days on the International Space Station, finishing work on a Japanese research laboratory. | The crew will spend 11 days on the International Space Station, finishing work on a Japanese research laboratory. |
| If the shuttle had not taken off by Thursday, it would have had to have waited until the end of the month to make way for a Russian cargo ship. | If the shuttle had not taken off by Thursday, it would have had to have waited until the end of the month to make way for a Russian cargo ship. |
| The seven crew members will spend 11 days on the space station | |
| "The weather is finally co-operating so it is now time to fly, " said launch director Pete Nickolenko. "Persistence pays off, good luck and God speed." | |
| "We're ready to go, and we're going to take all of you with us on a great mission," replied mission commander Mark Polansky. | |
| The orbiter is taking a seven-strong crew into space, made up of six Americans and one Canadian - Julie Payette - who will operate the shuttle's robotic arm during the mission. | The orbiter is taking a seven-strong crew into space, made up of six Americans and one Canadian - Julie Payette - who will operate the shuttle's robotic arm during the mission. |
| Their arrival, on Friday, will bring the total crew on the outpost to 13 - a record for the International Space Station (ISS). | |
| On the first of five spacewalks, a platform will be added to the Japanese laboratory complex, Kibo, which can be used for experiments that require materials to be exposed to the harsh environment of space. | On the first of five spacewalks, a platform will be added to the Japanese laboratory complex, Kibo, which can be used for experiments that require materials to be exposed to the harsh environment of space. |
| The crew will also install new batteries to one of the solar arrays, which provide power to the space station, and perform other maintenance tasks. | |
| Astronaut Julie Payette is to operate the shuttle's robotic arm | |
| In addition, Endeavour will deliver a new long-stay US crew member, Tim Kopra, to the ISS and bring back Japan's Koichi Wakata, who has lived aboard the platform for more than three months. | In addition, Endeavour will deliver a new long-stay US crew member, Tim Kopra, to the ISS and bring back Japan's Koichi Wakata, who has lived aboard the platform for more than three months. |
| The space station, now about the size of a four-bedroom house, has been under construction for more than a decade. It is costing $100bn, and is a collaboration between 16 nations. | The space station, now about the size of a four-bedroom house, has been under construction for more than a decade. It is costing $100bn, and is a collaboration between 16 nations. |
| This is the 127th space shuttle flight, the 29th to the station, the 23rd for Endeavour and the third in 2009. | This is the 127th space shuttle flight, the 29th to the station, the 23rd for Endeavour and the third in 2009. |
| Seven further flights to the platform remain before the shuttles retire in 2010. | Seven further flights to the platform remain before the shuttles retire in 2010. |