KSC-95EC-1017 - STS-70 Discovery launch (zoomed in view) 


	The fourth Space Shuttle flight of 1995 is off to an
all-but-perfect start, as the Shuttle Discovery surges skyward from
Launch Pad 39B at 9:41:55.078 a.m. EDT, July 13, 1995. On board for
Discovery's 21st spaceflight are a crew of five: Commander Terence
"Tom" Henricks; Pilot Kevin R. Kregel; and Mission Specialists Nancy
Jane Currie, Donald A. Thomas and Mary Ellen Weber. Primary objective
of Mission STS-70 is to assure the continued readiness of NASA's
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) communications network which
links Earth-orbiting spacecraft -- including the Shuttle -- with the
ground. The 70th Shuttle flight overall also marks the maiden flight
of the new Block I Space Shuttle Main Engine configuration designed to
increase engine performance as well as safety and reliability.


 
                                               7/13/95