Atop twin towers of flame, space shuttle Endeavour races past the lightning mast on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, heading into space on the STS-126 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:55 p.m. EST. STS-126 is the 124th space shuttle flight and the 27th flight to the International Space Station. The mission will feature four spacewalks and work that will prepare the space station to house six crew members for long-duration missions. Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews