CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Water near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida captures the brilliant flames as space shuttle Discovery lifts off on the STS-119 mission. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers move a parachute pack to the Ares I-X forward skirt segment, in which it will be installed. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Clouds of smoke and steam roll across Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery roars into the night sky on the STS-119 mission. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Liftoff of space shuttle Discovery from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida lights up the evening sky as it begins the STS-119 mission. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Propelled by columns of fire, space shuttle Discovery races toward space on the STS-119 mission after liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Clouds of smoke and steam roll across the pad. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Billows of smoke and the water near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida capture the brilliant light of space shuttle Discovery's lift-off on the STS-119 mission. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Billows of smoke and the water near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida capture the brilliant light of space shuttle Discovery's lift-off on the STS-119 mission. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT.The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Steam rises from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery lifts off on mission STS-119. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer, George Roberts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Propelled by a column of fire, space shuttle Discovery races toward space on the STS-119 mission after liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Brilliant flames ignite the sky over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery roars toward space on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The setting sun paints the clouds over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida before the launch of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff of Discovery was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Jeff Wolfe

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Clouds of smoke and steam roll across Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery races toward space on mission STS-119. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers install a parachute pack in the Ares I-X forward skirt segment. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Propelled by a column of fire, space shuttle Discovery races toward space on the STS-119 mission after liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Clouds of smoke and steam roll across the pad. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, twin columns of fire propel space shuttle Discovery from Launch Pad 39A toward space on mission STS-119. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Looking like a sun riding a column of smoke, space shuttle Discovery hurtles into the evening sky on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Fletch Hildreth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers install a parachute pack in the Ares I-X forward skirt segment. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Viewed across the water near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, launch of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-119 mission spews fire into the night. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Clouds of smoke and steam billow across Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery roars into the evening sky. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Fire seems to surround Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery leaps from the pad to begin its STS-119 mission. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Clouds of smoke and steam roll across Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery races toward space on mission STS-119. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery rises from Launch Pad 39A on columns of fire as it begins its 13-day journey into space on mission STS-119. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer, George Roberts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, twin columns of fire propel space shuttle Discovery past the lightning mast on Launch Pad 39A toward space on mission STS-119. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Light and dark clouds of smoke and steam, spawned by the fire of liftoff, roll across Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery heads to space on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As it arcs into space, space shuttle Discovery is lighted by sunlight after leaving the darker skies over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Jeff Wolfe

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers move a parachute pack for installation in the Ares I-X forward skirt segment. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers move a parachute pack under the Ares I-X forward skirt segment, in which it will be installed. The forward skirt is the initial piece of first-stage hardware in preparation for the July 2009 test flight of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As it arcs into space, space shuttle Discovery is lighted by sunlight after leaving the darker skies over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Fletch Hildreth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A helicopter patrols the sky over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida before launch of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff of Discovery was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Jeff Wolfe

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Billows of smoke and the water near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida capture the brilliant light of space shuttle Discovery's lift-off on the STS-119 mission. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Atop a column of fire, space shuttle Discovery roars toward space as it lifts off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the STS-119 mission. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The fiery light of ignition spills over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Discovery roars toward space on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Billows of smoke and the water near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida capture the brilliant light of space shuttle Discovery's lift-off on the STS-119 mission. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As space shuttle Discovery roars toward space after launch from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, mach diamonds can be seen beneath the engine nozzles. Blue cones of light, the mach diamonds are a formation of shock waves in the exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer, George Roberts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Viewed from the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery rides the tower of flames as it roars into space on the STS-119 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Marino Jeffrey

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The brilliant light of space shuttle Discovery's lift-off on the STS-119 mission lights up the clouds of smoke and the water near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O'Connell

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The brilliant light of space shuttle Discovery's lift-off on the STS-119 mission lights up the clouds of smoke and the water near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tom Farrar