STS-120 Space shuttle Discovery launches from Pad 39A

From the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery rivals the sun as it soars through the clouds toward space. Liftoff was on time at 11:38:19 a.m. EDT. Discovery carries the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. During the 14-day STS-120 mission, the crew will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6.