Space Shuttle Endeavour Poster

Against a black sky, the Space Shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member STS-126 crew head toward Earth orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff was on time at 7:55 p.m. (EST) on Nov. 14, 2008 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre. Onboard are astronauts Chris Ferguson, commander; Eric Boe, pilot; Steve Bowen, Shane Kimbrough, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Donald Pettit and Sandra Magnus, all mission specialists. Magnus will join Expedition 18 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the ISS. The mission will feature four spacewalks and work that will prepare the space station to house six crew members for long-duration missions.