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 (10:02 p.m.British time).

That was the moment when Earth's rotation positioned theshuttle for its most 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 tonnes.

"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 (1 billionpounds) to manufacture, is being installed aboard the spacestation in three flights. The elaborate complex includes astorage chamber, launched in March, the main lab aboardDiscovery and an outdoor porch slated to fly next year.

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

Japan built a large complex to make sure there was plentyof room for its own ambitious science program as well as thoseof the station's other partner nations. The United States isentitled to half of Kibo's lab space in exchange for buildingand operating the station and launching the hardware.

NASA administrator Michael Griffin called the constructionof a lab capable of supporting humans in space a milestone forJapan.

"With this step, Japan has shown itself to be fully capableof participating at the highest levels in space exploration,"he said at a news conference after the launch.

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 culturalactivities aboard Kibo, such as dance, art and sculpture.

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

Kibo was the main focus of Discovery's planned 14-daymission. Most of that time will be spent at the space station,which is in need of some maintenance and repair services.

Astronauts plan to replace a nitrogen tank that pressurizesthe station's cooling system and clean a metal ring that ispart of the solar power system. It is causing vibrations whenit spins a pair of solar wing panels.

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.

A NASA official said a preliminary look at launch imagesshowed that five pieces of insulating foam fell off theshuttle's external fuel tank during its climb to space. Butnone was expected to pose a danger to Discovery.

Fuel tank foam has been a concern for the space agencysince it triggered the loss of the shuttle Columbia in 2003. Apiece of foam knocked a hole in the spacecraft's wing duringlaunch and the ship disintegrated on re-entry into Earth'satmosphere, killing the seven astronauts on board.

The Discovery crew includes lead spacewalker Mike Fossumand five rookies in space: pilot Kenneth Ham, flight engineerRonald Garan, lead robotic arm operator Karen Nyberg, Japan'sAkihiko Hoshide and space station flight engineer GregoryChamitoff, who will swap places with NASA's Garrett Reisman.

NASA has seven missions planned to finish construction ofthe $100 billion station and two resupply flights before theshuttle fleet is retired in 2010.

It also plans to fly a final servicing call to the HubbleSpace Telescope in October.

(Editing by Jim Loney and Xavier Briand)