Discovery blasts off on one of shuttle program's final missions

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Discovery and seven astronauts headed for a rendezvous with the International Space Station after a pre-dawn liftoff Monday on one of the last missions for NASA's shuttle program.

The launch - the last one scheduled in darkness for NASA's fading shuttle program - helped set a record for the most women in space at the same time. Three women are aboard Discovery, and another is already at the space station, making for an unprecedented foursome. The shuttle should arrive at the orbiting outpost Wednesday.

Problems with Discovery's main antenna cropped up as soon as the shuttle reached orbit and could impact the radar needed for the rendezvous, Mission Control said. A spokesman stressed there were other tools to work around the situation. "We probably won't have answers for you today about what this means," Mission Control told the astronauts.

The nearly two-week mission will stock the space station with supplies and experiments.

In a rare treat, the space station passed over the launch site 15 minutes before Discovery blasted off and was easily visible, resembling a big, brilliant star in the clear morning sky with the moon as a backdrop. There was a chorus of "ooooh" from spectators. By launch time, the outpost had traveled almost all the way across the Atlantic.

"It's time for you to rise to orbit. Good luck and godspeed," launch director Pete Nickolenko told the astronauts before liftoff.

Discovery could be seen with the naked eye for seven minutes as it shot upward, adding to the show. And almost as an encore, the exhaust plumes fanned out in spirals across the sky, turning pale shades of rose, peach and gold in the glinting sunlight.

The six space station residents gathered around the dinner table to watch the launch on a laptop computer. "We are absolutely delighted to have our friendly comrades joining us here in a couple of days," said spaceman Timothy Creamer.

Japan celebrated its own space feat with Discovery's liftoff. Two of its astronauts were circling Earth at the same time, one on the shuttle and the other on the station. More than 300 Japanese journalists and space program officials crowded the launch site. The roads leading to the Kennedy Space Center also were jammed with Easter vacationers and spring breakers eager to see one of the few remaining shuttle flights.

NASA officials noted three small pieces of insulating foam flying off Discovery's fuel tank, too late in the flight to pose a safety concern. The astronauts will survey their ship Tuesday. If the shuttle's antenna isn't working by then, they will be forced to wait until they get to the space station to send down the inspection results.

Only three shuttle missions remain after this one. NASA intends to retire its fleet by the end of September, but is unsure what will follow for human spaceflight. President Barack Obama will visit the area April 15, while Discovery is still in orbit, to fill in some of the blanks.

NASA's moon exploration program, Constellation, already has been canceled by Obama.

The launch team temporarily put aside its worries about NASA's uncertain future and basked in the glow of a successful launch.

"Folks were just immensely proud and happy," Nickolenko said. "Certainly, in the next coming days and weeks, I don't doubt there will be some reflection."

Commander Alan Poindexter and his crew will spend nine days at the space station, replenishing supplies. The astronauts will install a fresh ammonia tank for the cooling system - a cumbersome job requiring three spacewalks. They also will drop off science experiments as well as an extra sleeping compartment, a darkroom to improve picture-taking from the lab's high-quality window, and other equipment totaling thousands of pounds.

All these supplies are needed to keep the space station running long after NASA's three remaining shuttles stop flying. NASA will rely on other countries' vessels to deliver crews and supplies, but none are as big and roomy as the shuttle.

The space station will continue operating until 2020 under the Obama plan. The idea is for commercial rocket companies to eventually provide ferry service for astronauts. Right now, NASA is paying for seats on Russian Soyuz rockets. That's how U.S. astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson got to the space station Sunday, two days after being launched from Kazakhstan.

Once combined, the shuttle and station crews will number 13: eight Americans, three Russians and two Japanese.