STS088-S-006 (4 Dec. 1998) --- The Space Shuttle Endeavour lights up the night sky as it embarks on the first mission dedicated to the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff occurred at 3:35:34 a.m. (EST), December 4, 1998, from Launch Pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. Onboard were astronauts Robert D. Cabana, mission commander; Frederick W. Sturckow, pilot; Nancy J. Currie, Jerry L. Ross and James H. Newman, along with Russian Space Agency (RSA) cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, all mission specialists.