Space shuttle Discovery blasted off its seaside launch pad on Saturday, defying the odds of poor weather and ending the ban on night-time flights imposed after the 2003 Columbia disaster.
With its twin booster rockets blazing, the shuttle and seven astronauts lifted off at 8:47:35 p.m. EST (01:47:35 GMT on Sunday) with a thundering roar and a brilliant white light that momentarily dispelled the darkness at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
High winds had threatened to delay the flight for the second time in as many days but the gusts calmed, clearing the way for NASA's third shuttle mission in six months.
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