Atop a pillar of fire space shuttle Discovery roars into the sky toward space.

Atop a pillar of fire, space shuttle Discovery roars into the sky toward space. Clouds of smoke and steam roll across the seaside launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was on time at 11:38:19 a.m. EDT. Discovery carries the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. During the 14-day STS-120 mission, the crew will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton