Liftoff: Discovery soars on Fourth of July on first shuttle flight in year

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In a majestic Independence Day liftoff, Discovery and its crew of seven blasted into orbit Tuesday on the first space shuttle launch in a year, flying over objections from those within NASA who argued for more fuel-tank repairs.

NASA's first-ever Fourth of July launch came after two weather delays and last-minute foam trouble that conjured up worries that have dogged NASA since Columbia was brought down by a chunk of fuel tank insulation foam 3 1/2 years ago.

The foam problem resurfaced during last July's flight of Discovery and again Monday, keeping the space agency debating safety all the way up to the eve of liftoff.

As Discovery thundered away from its seaside pad at 2:38 p.m. and into space Tuesday, video showed was no initial sign of significant foam loss. Engineers will spend the next few days poring over the video before the shuttle returns to Earth.

Commander Steven Lindsey, an Air Force fighter pilot, was at Discovery's controls and aiming for a Thursday linkup with the international space station.

"Discovery's ready, the weather's beautiful, America is ready to return the space shuttle to flight. So good luck and Godspeed, Discovery," launch director Mike Leinbach said just before liftoff.

"I can't think of a better place to be here on the Fourth of July," radioed Lindsey. "For all the folks on the Florida east coast, we hope to very soon get you an up-close and personal look at the rocket's red glare."

It was unclear for a while Monday whether Discovery would fly.

A slice of foam, no bigger than a crust of bread, fell off an expansion joint on Discovery's external fuel tank following Sunday's delay. Shuttle managers concluded Monday night after intensive engineering analysis that the remaining foam on that part of the tank was solid.

Engineers said the piece — 3 inches long and just one-tenth of an ounce — was too small to pose a threat even if it had come off during launch and smacked the shuttle. Inspectors devised a long pole with a camera on the end to get an up-close look at the joint where the foam came off, and found no evidence of further damage. NASA made sure there was no excessive ice buildup at that spot Tuesday; ice could be even more damaging than foam at liftoff.

"You could mail 10 of these things with the cost of a single first-class stamp," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said earlier on NBC's "Today." We're talking about a very, very minor piece of foam here. ... This is not an issue."