In Orbit, A Decade Later

CAPE CANAVERAL: "This was practically a flawless launch," reports TIME's Jerry Hannifin from the Kennedy Space Center, where the shuttle Endeavor hurtled into space early Thursday. "The only glitch was that it was a few minutes late while some extra safety checking was done. NASA took particular care and scrutiny with precautions on this launch because it fell 10 years to the month after the Challenger disaster, which killed all seven of its crew members. But they really couldn't have asked for better conditions. It was clear and cool, 44 degrees, but not as cold as the Challenger launch, which had a temperature of about 36 degrees. The purpose of the mission is to provide practice for using tools in space, but also to retrieve a Japanese satellite that was launched last March. That satellite holds two dead newts and fertilized newt eggs, as well as crystal-growth furnaces and infrared telescopes." Endeavor and its six-person crew -- five American and one Japanese astronauts -- is scheduled to return on January 20.