Space shuttle carries Japanese lab into orbit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Space shuttle Discoveryblasted off a seaside launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center inFlorida on Saturday to deliver Japan's huge new researchlaboratory to the International Space Station.

The start of NASA's 123rd shuttle mission was as smooth asthey come, with no technical glitches and no weather issues asthe countdown clock ticked down to 5:02 p.m. EDT (2102 GMT),the moment when Earth's rotation positioned the shuttle for itsmost direct path to the orbiting space station.

The shuttle's twin booster rockets roared to life, joiningthe ship's three hydrogen-burning main engines to catapult the4.5 million pound (2.04 million kg) ship into the air. The loadwas especially hefty, with Japan's Kibo lab tipping the scalesat more than 16 tons.

"While we all tend to live for today, Kibo will give ushope for tomorrow," said shuttle commander Mark Kelly. "Nowstand by for the greatest show on Earth."

Kibo, a complex that cost Japan about $2 billion tomanufacture, is being installed aboard the space station inthree flights. The elaborate complex includes a storagechamber, launched in March, the main lab aboard Discovery andan outdoor porch slated to fly next year.

The main segment is a 37-foot-(11-metre-) by 15 foot (4.6metre) cylinder that took up much of the shuttle's 50-foot(15-metre) cargo bay.

Japan kept its laboratory intact throughout several spacestation redesigns, opting for a large complex to make surethere was plenty of room for its own ambitious science programas well as those of the station's other partner nations.

The United States is entitled to half of Kibo's lab spacein exchange for building and operating the station andlaunching the Japanese hardware.

The Kibo complex is as big as a tour bus and eventuallywill be outfitted with 23 refrigerator-sized racks, 10 of whichwill be devoted to science investigations.

SCIENCE AND CULTURE

In addition to fluid physics experiments, biomedicalresearch and other microgravity studies, Japan plans a host ofcultural activities aboard Kibo, such as dance, art andsculpture.

"We're interested in creating a new art expression inspace," Junichiro Shimizu, an official with the Japan AerospaceExploration Agency, said in an interview.

Kibo's installation is the main focus of Discovery'splanned 14-day mission. Most of that time will be spent at thespace station, which is in need of some maintenance and repairservices.

In addition to adding a third research lab, astronauts planto replace a nitrogen tank that pressurizes the station'scooling system and inspect and clean a metal ring that is partof the station's solar power system.

The ring was contaminated by metal shards and is causingvibrations when it spins a pair of solar wing panels to trackthe sun for power. NASA is babying the system until repairs canbe made to prevent additional damage.

Discovery is also carrying a new pump for the spacestation's toilet, which needs to be manually flushed severaltimes a day. Until the new commode is installed, thethree-member station crew will be free to use the shuttle'stoilet, NASA space flight chief Bill Gerstenmaier said.

The Discovery crew, commanded by Mark Kelly, includes leadspacewalker Mike Fossum and five rookies in space: pilotKenneth Ham, flight engineer Ronald Garan, lead robotic armoperator Karen Nyberg, Japan's Akihiko Hoshide and spacestation flight engineer Gregory Chamitoff, who will swap placeswith NASA's Garrett Reisman.

NASA has seven missions planned to complete construction ofthe $100 billion space station and two resupply flights beforethe shuttle fleet is retired in 2010. The agency also plans tofly a final servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope inOctober.

(Editing by Jim Loney and Todd Eastham)