Discovery blasts off

The US space shuttle Discovery blasted off atop a cloud of smoke on Tuesday, soaring above Florida...

The US space shuttle Discovery blasted off atop a cloud of smoke on Tuesday, soaring above Florida marshlands toward a rendezvous in two days with the International Space Station.

Discovery’s 14-day mission kicks off a two-month refurbishment of the $100 billion outpost that prepares the way for Europe’s first permanent laboratory in orbit.

The shuttle roared through a partly cloudy sky at 11:38 am EDT (1538 GMT), defying predictions by meteorologists that clouds and rain could force a delay.

A buildup of ice on the external fuel tank, which could have fallen off and hit the shuttle, was ruled out as a threat by NASA engineers. Cameras showed a lot of debris coming off once the shuttle reached space, where there is little chance of it resulting in serious damage.

outside the RJD party office in Patna on Friday. Partners of the alliance filed nomination papers for all 121 seats going to polls in the first phase – the total strength of the Bihar House is 243 – while talks continued to end the deadlock over seats.

Mahagathbandhan parties fail to seal Bihar pact, field own candidates for Phase 1

Political Pulse4 hr ago

Opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar failed to announce a seat-sharing pact as nominations closed for the first phase of Assembly elections. Talks are ongoing to end the deadlock over seats, with over a dozen constituencies still in dispute. The alliance has released lists of candidates, with RJD reportedly contesting 130-135 seats and Congress around 60.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS