New Space Age Is Dawning as Shuttle Lifts Off
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Discovery rose with the sun and launched a new space age Thursday, carrying into orbit the first Russian aboard a U.S. shuttle.
The head of Russia’s space program praised the liftoff, which is considered a prelude to a shared space station.
“It is remarkable that this launch has been on schedule, and everything is well, going all right,” Russian space director Yuri Koptev told the shuttle launch team. “I hope that in our future cooperative projects, everything will be going as well, or right on schedule.”
Koptev promised to return the favor early next year with a punctual Soyuz launch of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut to Russia’s Mir space station.
Discovery blasted off at dawn, piercing a clear sky on its way to a 218-mile-high orbit.
Joining the five Americans on board for the eight-day science mission was cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who wore a Russian flag patch on the shoulder of his orange flight suit.
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