A large bird appears to chase Space Shuttle Discovery as it roars into space and emblazons the night sky.

A large bird appears to chase Space Shuttle Discovery as it roars into space and emblazons the night sky. This was the second launch attempt of Discovery on mission STS-116. Liftoff occurred on time at 8:47 p.m. EST. The first launch attempt on Dec. 7 was postponed due a low cloud ceiling over Kennedy Space Center. This is Discovery's 33rd mission and the first night launch since 2002. The 20th shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-116 carries another truss segment, P5. It will serve as a spacer, mated to the P4 truss that was attached in September. After installing the P5, the crew will reconfigure and redistribute the power generated by two pairs of U.S. solar arrays. Landing is expected Dec. 21 at KSC. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Robert Murray, Chris Lynch