KSC-88PC-1033

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery and its five-man crew is launched from pad 39B at 11:37 a.m. as STS-26 embarks on a four-day mission, marking America's return to space. On the first day of orbit, the crew will deploy from the orbiter's payload bay the primary payload, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C). The Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) will boost the satellite to a geosynchronous altitude from low-Earth orbit. When in place, TDRS-C will relay data from low-Earth orbiting spacecraft, and air-to-ground voice communications and television from Space Shuttle orbiters during missions. The crew members of STS-26 are Commander Rick Hauck, Pilot Richard Covey, and Mission Specialists Dave Hilmers, Mike Lounge, and George 'Pinky' Nelson.