KSC-2009-2088

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As space shuttle Discovery roars toward space after launch from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, mach diamonds can be seen beneath the engine nozzles. Blue cones of light, the mach diamonds are a formation of shock waves in the exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system. Launch was on time at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The STS-119 mission is the 28th to the International Space Station and the 125th space shuttle flight. Discovery will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and the S6 truss segment. Installation of S6 will signal the station's readiness to house a six-member crew for conducting increased science. Photo credit: NASA/Rusty Backer, George Roberts