Liftoff of STS-59 Shuttle Endeavour

STS059-S-036 (9 April 1994) --- The liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour is backdropped against a dawn sky at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) as six NASA astronauts head for a week and a half in Earth orbit. The morning sky allows for a contrasting backdrop for the diamond shock effect of the thrust from Endeavour's main engines. Liftoff occurred at 7:05 a.m. (EDT), April 9, 1994. Onboard for the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-1) mission were astronauts Sidney M. Gutierrez, Kevin P. Chilton, Jerome (Jay) Apt, Linda M. Godwin, Michael R. U. (Rich) Clifford and Thomas D. Jones.