Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 10:39 a.m. EDT July 26, 2005, returning to flight more than two years after the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy of February 1, 2003. Nine minutes later, Discovery reached orbit. On its 13-day mission the shuttle crew will test new methods of repairing damage to the Space Shuttle and dock with the International Space Station. While docked, the Discovery crew will deliver supplies, install equipment, and replace a faulty gyroscope on the station. Discovery will return to Earth on August 7th.
For more information and updates, visit NASA’s Return to Flight page.
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Photograph courtesy NASA Kennedy Space Center
