Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-92) Poster

The brilliance of the exhaust flames from Space Shuttle Discovery’s solid rocket boosters are captured in the water below Launch Pad 39A. The perfect on-time liftoff at 7:17 p.m. EDT sends a crew of seven on a construction flight to the International Space Station on mission STS-92, the 100th in the history of the Shuttle program. Discovery also carries a payload that includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1, first of 10 trusses that will form the backbone of the Space Station, and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter that will provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth Station flight and Lab installation on the seventh Station flight. Discovery’s landing is expected Oct. 22 at 2:10 p.m. EDT.