Space Shuttle Discovery Lifts Off; Headed for Space Station with

UPDATE: Blue skies and clear sailing marked the successful launch of Space Shuttle Discovery and her seven-member crew from historic Launch Pad 39-A at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. A flawless countdown preceded liftoff, which marked the 35th flight of Discovery and the 123rd Space Shuttle mission. (The numbers don't always match in sequence because flight manifests often shuttle missions around.)

Original story follows.

The crew of Space Shuttle Discovery is strapped into their vehicle as the countdown toward a 5:02 p.m. EDT launch proceeds smoothly at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The STS-124 is the second of three flights that will ferry and install  components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory on the International Space Station.

They're also taking components to help with fixes of the Russian-provided toilet. The crew's primary mission is to  Kibo’s large Japanese Pressurized Module, or JPM, and its remote manipulator system, or RMS.

The RMS consists of two roboticarms that support operations outside of Kibo. The lab's logistics module, or JLM,which was installed in a temporary location during STS-123 in March, will be attachedto the new lab.

Discovery's 14-day flight carries the largest payload ever delivered  to the station and will include three spacewalks. The shuttle also will deliver Astronaut Gregory E. Chamitoff , a Mission Specialist, to a duty tour aboard the station.

He will take Astronaut Garrett E.
Reisman's place as ; Expedition 17 flight engineer.; Reisman will come home with the STS-124 crew in two weeks. Chamitoff will fly home aboard Endeavour on the STS-126 mission in November.

The rest of the STS-124 crew includes Michael E. Fossum,; mission specialist; Kenneth T. Ham, pilot; Mark E. Kelly, commander; Karen L. Nyberg, Ronald J. Garan and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Akihiko Hoshide, all mission specialists.

NASA Astronauts Ready for March 11 Endeavour Launch

First Woman Space Station Commander & Team Launched

Flames danced against the dawning sky as the International Space Station's first woman commander and team mates were launched successfully from Baikonur Cosmodrome.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, and Russian guest space traveler Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, are on orbit after their Soyuz rocket hurled them into space. Whitson, the incoming Expedition 16 commander, joins NASA's long list of "firsts" for women in space and diversity in space.

Shukor is Malaysia's first space visitor. A doctor, he got his ride as part of a complicated trade involving Malaysia's purchase of Soviet fighter jets. Malenchenko is a space veteran who earlier commanded an expedition.

The spacecraft will dock with the Zarya module about 10:22 a.m. EDT Friday.

Photo: courtesy of NASA

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NASA: Our Astronauts Don't Fly Drunk

NASA Administrator Mike Griffin today denied allegations that astronauts were drunk before or during space liftoffs. . Griffin said that there was "absolutely no evidence" to support the anonymous reports. In addition, NASA flight surgeons are prepared to sign documents stating this finding.

The flap over "drunken astronauts in space" is shown to be what it always seemed like to insiders: gossip. The original report of pre-flight intoxication was based on anonymous comments from within a tiny group of astronaut corps members or their families.

Heading up the investigation: astronaut Bryan O'Connor, known for his fact-based, no nonsense attitude. O'Connor, a former Navy test pilot, has flown two Space Shuttle missions among his more than 5,000 hours in more than 40 types of aircraft.

An expert in flight safety, O'Connor headed up key portions of the Challenger accident investigation. The current NASA investigation into the allegations of heavy drinking at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Russian launch base in Kazakhstan is part of what some call NASA's "mental health check."

NASA has beeen hit hard recently with allegations about mental health issues in the astronaut corps. Fodder for comedians, former astronaut Lisa Nowak Lisa Nowak's arrest and upcoming trial for allegedly stalking and planning to harm love rival USAF Capt. Colleen Shipman was a major blow to NASA's "right stuff" image.

Further complicating things: the love triangle between the two women and Bill Oefelein , former astronaut Bill Oefelein. Olefelein's affairs with both women raised not only eyebrows, but also discussion of potential charges within the Military Code of Justice.

The anonymous allegations of drunken astronauts put NASA on a firing range, from hero agency to buffoon. Today, officials said that the alleged drinking never took place, and referred to urban legends about poisoned Halloween candy, saying that false stories are known to spread wildly.

The stresses of spaceflight and working in the highly-dangerous space busines are well known. Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon with Neil Armstrong during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, wrote about his bout with depression following that mission. Throughout the history of the space program, the high-flying demands have taken their toll on families as well as the astronauts themselves.

In one of the sadder stories from space, Blue Angels veteran and former astronaut Chuck Brady committed suicide in July 2006. Brady, who flew on the longest space shuttle mission, had left NASA and reportedly was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, a crippling immune system disorder.

However the majority of astronauts, such as Sen. John Glenn (R-Ohio) go on to have successful careers after spaceflight, either in NASA management or other fields. With NASA's remaining Space Shuttle flights and the drive to return to the moon, the agency is being extra-cautious in examining the overall health of its astronauts.

So far, no response from Russian officials about activities at their base has been reported.

The NASA news conference about the drinking investigation can be watched via NASA TV starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

As reported at The News is Now Public.