Discovery blasted into a record-high shuttle orbit Tuesday with the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope, an astronomical marvel that will enable man to peer deeper into the universe than ever before.
The shuttle roared through a thin bank of clouds into a clear blue sky on a 700-foot column of flame almost three minutes late at 6:34 a.m. MDT. The ship carried five astronauts and NASA's most complex and costliest payload."Liftoff of the shuttle Discovery with the Hubble Space Telescope, our window on the universe," announced NASA launch commentator George Diller.
"It was one of the prettiest launches I ever saw, and it's a beautiful day to have Hubble Space Telescope in orbit instead of here on Earth like it's been for so many years," said NASA administrator Richard Truly.
With 31 seconds left in the countdown, the computer that runs the final moments before liftoff shut down because an indicator showed a fuel valve closed instead of open. The problem was quickly overcome, and the clock resumed after a three-minute pause.
NASA engineering director George T. Sassen said the problem that temporarily halted the countdown occurred because a computer command ordering the fuel valve to close never got through. The valve had to be closed through another computer.
"We were able to fix it," said launch director Robert Sieck. "We feel good about the hardware that we put on orbit, and we're looking forward to the results."
379.9 miles above Earth
At two minutes, six seconds into the flight, Discovery's two solid-fuel rockets burned out and dropped into the Atlantic Ocean. The shuttle continued upward on the thrust of its three main liquid-fuel engines.
Six minutes later, Discovery reached an elliptical orbit of 374 miles at its highest point. A half-hour after that, the astronauts fired maneuvering engines to raise the orbit to 379.9 miles, where the telescope would be safely above Earth's obscuring atmosphere. That is the highest a shuttle could reach with such a heavy payload.
The previous record orbit for a shuttle was 309 miles, by Challenger in 1984 when it deployed a science satellite.
`Flecks' on the windshield
The trip to orbit was not entirely routine. Commander Loren J. Shriver told Mission Control that "on the way uphill" the shuttle's windshield was splattered with debris.
He said he and pilot Charles Bolden "noticed several flecks of things impacting the forward windscreen. They seemed to be a little soft and impacted and just left little streaks."
Shriver also said that when the spent booster rockets fell off trailing smoke, "they put a pretty good little cloud on all the windows."
Anticipation for Hubble still high
Hubble has been waiting to take its place in space since 1983, delayed by technical problems and the 1986 Challenger accident.
The mood at Kennedy Space Center was considerably less festive than on April 10, when hundreds of astronomers gathered with their families hoping to see Discovery lift off. But those scientists who did return were just as excited.
"Astronomers are starting to tingle again in anticipation of what the Hubble will be able to accomplish," Lennard Fisk, head of NASA science activities, said a day before launch.
Hubble will give astronomers "a new set of eyes and ears that we don't have," said William Lenoir, head of NASA's space flight program.
"It's going to change our perspective altogether. I can't say what we're going to learn, but I'll be astounded if we don't learn many new things," Lenoir said.
Hubble's mission
Mission specialist Bruce McCandless II reported nearly 1 1/2 hours into the flight that the payload bay lights were on and that, "at first glimpse, the space telescope looks like it's in great shape."
The day after the launch, mission specialist Steven A. Hawley will use the shuttle's mechanical arm to lift the 24,250-pound telescope into space. Veteran spacewalkers Bruce McCandless II and Kathryn Sullivan will assist if a problem develops.
Discovery will follow Hubble from 40 miles away for two days until after its lens cap is opened, exposing the finely polished 94.5-inch mirror to starlight.
Hubble is not expected to start providing scientific data by satellite for a month or more after liftoff. However, NASA said it will release its first image _ an open star cluster in the constellation Carina _ a week after launch.
In addition to the $1.5 billion cost of Hubble, $500 million has been spent on spare parts, astronaut training and computer software to operate the instrument. The European Space Agency contributed $250 million for 15 percent of the viewing time.
NASA estimates the cost at $200 million a year to operate and maintain the telescope in space.
During its 15-year working lifetime, the telescope will provide astronomers with 10 times better resolution and 25 times more sensitivity than ground-based observatories. As a result, they will be able to study stars and galaxies so distant their light has been traveling toward Earth for 14 billion years.
Astronomers hope to learn whether the universe was created 15 billion years ago as believed and uncover some of the mystery surrounding galaxies, black holes and quasars. Hubble also is expected to shed light on how and when the universe might end.
The telescope is named for the late astronomer Edwin P. Hubble, who discovered during the 1920s that the universe is expanding. His work gave rise to the Big Bang theory that the universe was created by a tremendous explosion.
The shuttle is to end its five-day mission with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
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Skull in space
In addition to Hubble, Discovery is carrying a human skull filled with sensors to measure the space radiation that astronauts receive. It is the skull's third trip into space.