Discovery heads for space station

The U.S. space shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts rocketed into orbit Monday on one of NASA's final stockpiling missions to the International Space Station.

The liftoff, less than an hour before sunrise, set a record for the most women in space at the same time.

Three women are aboard Discovery and another is at the space station, making for an unprecedented foursome. The shuttle should arrive at the orbiting outpost Wednesday.

In a rare treat, the space station passed over the Kennedy Space Center launch site 15 minutes before Discovery blasted off and was easily visible, resembling a big, brilliant star in the clear morning sky, with the moon as a dramatic backdrop at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Spectators were mightily impressed and there was a chorus of "Oooooh." By launch time, the outpost had travelled almost all the way across the Atlantic.

"It's time for you to rise to orbit. Good luck and Godspeed," launch director Pete Nickolenko told the astronauts before liftoff.

"Let's do it!" replied commander Alan Poindexter.

Discovery could be seen with the naked eye for seven minutes as it shot upward. And almost as an encore, the exhaust plumes fanned out in spirals across the sky, turning pale shades of rose, peach and gold in the glinting sunlight.

Japan celebrated its own space feat with Discovery's liftoff.

Two of its astronauts were circling Earth at the same time, one on the shuttle and the other on the station. More than 300 Japanese journalists and space program officials crowded the launch site.

Shuttle's final flights

Only three shuttle missions remain after this one. NASA intends to retire its fleet by the end of September, but is unsure what will follow for human space flight. U.S. President Barack Obama will visit the area April 15, while Discovery is still in orbit, to fill in some of the blanks.

NASA's moon exploration program, Constellation, has already been cancelled by Obama.

Poindexter and his crew will spend nine days at the space station, replenishing supplies. The astronauts will install a fresh ammonia tank for the cooling system — a cumbersome job requiring three spacewalks.

They also will drop off science experiments, as well as an extra sleeping compartment and other equipment.

All these supplies are needed to keep the space station running long after NASA's three remaining shuttles stop flying. NASA will rely on other countries' vessels to deliver crews and supplies, but none is as big and roomy as the shuttle.

The space station will continue operating until 2020 under the Obama plan. The idea is for commercial rocket companies to eventually provide ferry service for astronauts. Right now, NASA is paying for seats on Russian Soyuz rockets. 

The mission will last nearly two weeks and coincide with the 29th anniversary of the first shuttle flight on April 12.

Once combined, the shuttle and station crews will number 13: eight Americans, three Russians and two Japanese.

Almost everything went smoothly in Monday morning's countdown.

A half-hour before liftoff, a failure was noted in the air force system for sending self-destruct signals to the shuttle in case it strays off course. A backup line was working fine, though, and the launch occurred at 6:21 a.m., right on time.