CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is moments away from launching as sparks fly below the shuttle's main engines. The 'sparklers' are the external ignitors which burn off any concentration of hydrogen present in the vicinity of the engines. The cloud forming behind the shuttle's solid rocket booster and the pad's access arm is created by spray from the water deluge system. Launch of the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station was at 4 14 EST. This was the second launch attempt for space shuttle Endeavour's
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is moments away from launching as sparks fly below the shuttle's main engines. The 'sparklers' are the external ignitors which burn off any concentration of hydrogen present in the vicinity of the engines. The cloud forming behind the shuttle's solid rocket booster and the pad's access arm is created by spray from the water deluge system. Launch of the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station was at 4 14 EST. This was the second launch attempt for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 crew and the final scheduled space shuttle night launch. The first attempt on Feb. 7 was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station is the Tranquility node, a pressurized module that will provide additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to one end of Tranquility is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. The cupola resembles a circular bay window and will provide a vastly improved view of the station's exterior. The multi-directional view will allow the crew to monitor spacewalks and docking operations, as well as provide a spectacular view of Earth and other celestial objects. The module was built in Turin, Italy, by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency.
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Photo credit: © NASA/piemags / Alamy / Afripics
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