KSC-2010-2553

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An exhaust cloud threatens to obscure the view of space shuttle Discovery as it hurtles toward space after liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch on the STS-131 mission was on time at 6:21 a.m. EDT. The seven-member crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the station’s truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall. For information on the STS-131 mission and crew, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_mission_pages_shuttle_shuttlemissions_sts131_index.html. Photo credit: NASA_Tony Gray and Tom Farrar