(11 Feb 2000) Natural Sound
After five months of delays the space shuttle, Endeavour, finally thundered away on a mission to map the world as never before on Friday.
Endeavour rose from its seaside launch pad at 12:43 p-m Eastern time (1743 GMT), carrying six astronauts and 13 tons of Earth-scanning equipment.
The gorgeous, sunny weather was especially welcome given the rain during last week's failed attempt.
It was NASA's second launch attempt in as many weeks.
Liftoff came 13 minutes late because of three minor technical problems that were quickly resolved.
The 8 and a-half-minute climb to orbit appeared to go smoothly.
During the first try, on January 31st, the weather and a faulty computer kept Endeavour and its crew from lifting off on a quest to create the most accurate 3-D map of the world.
The astronauts were eager to get started on their 11-day mission.
They should have tackled the job last September, but were kept waiting because damaged wiring all over Endeavour had to be repaired.
If all goes well, more than 70 percent of the Earth's terrain will be mapped before the crew's return on February 22nd.
The results will be used by the Defense Department for security purposes, as well as by environmentalists, airlines and emergency relief groups.
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