ISU Ends With a Bang as Discovery Soars into Orbit

The International Space University session ended with a bang – one that took place about 3,000 miles away on a sandy, alligator infested stretch of swampland in Florida.

The space shuttle Discovery roared off the pad at the Kennedy Space Center at 11:59 p.m. EDT. It was a picture-perfect nighttime launch of a seven member international crew on a mission to the International Space Station that lit up the Florida sky and could be seen along much of the Eastern seaboard. As of 1:08 a.m. Eastern time, there were no reported problems on the flight.

Those viewing it live undoubtedly saw an spectacular sight, which could be the last night launch of the shuttle program. I viewed a night launch from the Cape once from the press center. It is indeed an amazing thing to see.

In Mountain View, a group of International Space University alumni, staff and students watch the launch during a post-graduation reception at the NASA Ames visitor’s center. They cheered as the shuttle rose from the pad as they watched a video feed that was projected on a large screen.

Several hours earlier, ISU graduated 130 students from its Summer Session Program in a ceremony marked by both humor and tears. The Strasbourg-based school completed its 22nd summer session and paid tribute to two alumni and a French politician who had all passed on.

The session began with a shuttle launch not long after it began nine weeks ago. The summer also saw launches of SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket and the first Korean space vehicle.