Discovery hurtles as it passes the lightning rod atop the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Trailing a column of fire, space shuttle Discovery hurtles toward space on mission STS-120 as it passes the lightning rod atop the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The flames beneath Discovery are reflected in the smoke on the pad and the water nearby. 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/Sandra Joseph, Tony Gray & Robert Murray