Nasa successfully launched space shuttle Discovery yesterday after a 2½-year struggle to rebuild the shuttle programme following the fatal Columbia accident.
The shuttle, carrying seven crew members, soared into slightly hazy skies, leaving behind a trail of smoke and flames, while the roar of its solid booster rockets rattled windows and shook the ground across Cape Canaveral in Florida.
"On behalf of the many millions of people who believe so deeply in what we do, good luck, Godspeed and have a little fun up there," Nasa launch director Mike Leinbach told the crew a few minutes before lift-off at 10.39am (3.39pm Irish time).
Discovery's mission, under veteran astronaut Eileen Collins, is to test new safety measures and heat shield repair techniques introduced since sister ship Columbia disintegrated over Texas on February 1st, 2003, killing seven astronauts.
Nasa has spent more than $1 billion (€831 million) on safety upgrades since then, and worked to correct what investigators called a "broken safety culture".
Discovery's other main mission is to deliver several tons of supplies and equipment to the International Space Station, whose construction has been on hold since the remaining three-shuttle fleet was grounded in the aftermath of Columbia.
Discovery's launch was delayed for two weeks while engineers searched for the cause of a problem with one of the ship's hydrogen fuel-level sensors. During yesterday's countdown, however, all the sensors worked perfectly and Discovery blasted off smoothly to the delight of onlookers, including first lady Laura Bush.