KSC-01pp1474

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- A helicopter provides a unique view of the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery from Launch Pad 39A on mission STS-105. Liftoff occurred at 5:10:14 p.m. EDT. As Discovery soars into the sky it casts a shadow from the setting sun. Below the smoke column rises the 525-foot-high Vehicle Assembly Building, a landmark at Kennedy Space Center. To the left is the Banana Creek and in the foreground are the marshlands of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy. Besides the Shuttle crew of four, Discovery carries the Expedition Three crew who will replace Expedition Two on the Space Station. The mission includes the third flight of an Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module delivering additional scientific racks, equipment and supplies for the Space Station and the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS) tank. The EAS, which will be attached to the Station during two spacewalks, contains spare ammonia for the Station’s cooling system. The three-member Expedition Two crew will be returning to Earth aboard Discovery after a five-month stay on the Station