In this photo released by Rogers and Cowan, actor Tom Cruise and actress Katie Holmes pose in their wedding attire, in this Nov. 18, 2006, file photo, at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle overlooking Lake Bracciano outside of Rome. (AP Photo/Robert Evans/FILE)



Space Shuttle Discovery Soars Toward the International Space
Station

The American space shuttle, Discovery, blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch was the first by a shuttle at night since the Columbia disaster in 2003. Discovery lifted off its launch pad after dark, which had been banned by NASA after the Columbia disaster.

The first goal of Discovery's 12-day flight is to install a new piece on the International Space Station (ISS) and the station's exterior structure and rewire the power grid. According to a source, another goal is to shift a crew member out of three astronauts working at the ISS.

The launch of Discovery was originally scheduled for December 7, but bad weather conditions, such as high winds and low clouds, threatened to delay the flight for a second time.

The Discovery carries seven crew members, and is due back at the Kennedy Space Center on December 21.
/ 입력시간: 2006. 12.12. 09:12