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Summary NASAs space shuttle Discovery blasted off for the last time Thursday, carrying six astronauts and carting a load of supplies, spare parts and a robot for the International Space Station.
The shuttle lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center, riding a flame-tipped pillar of smoke across the Atlantic Ocean as it soared through partly cloudy skies toward space. The launch was delayed three minutes due to a glitch with a range safety computer minutes before the scheduled liftoff. The problem was resolved with seconds to spare. Discoverys fuel tank shed at least four pieces of insulating foam during the climb to orbit, but none posed a threat to the ship, NASA said.Discoverys launch was the 133rd in the 30-year-old shuttle program, with up to two flights remaining before the United States retires its three-ship fleet later this year. The shuttles are being retired due to high operational costs and to free up money to develop new vehicles capable of traveling beyond the space stations orbit.
