Deep shadows are broken by the fiery launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour as it leaps free of Launch Pad 39A.

Deep shadows are broken by the fiery launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour as it leaps free of Launch Pad 39A to begin mission STS-118. Liftoff was on time at 6:36 p.m. EDT. The mission is the 22nd shuttle flight to the International Space Station. It will continue space station construction by delivering a third starboard truss segment, S5, and other payloads such as the SPACEHAB module and the external stowage platform 3. The 11-day mission may be extended to as many as 14 depending on the test of the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and extend its visits to the orbiting lab. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Tony Gray, Robert Murray