Smoke begins pouring as space shuttle Discovery lifts off on its STS-124 mission to the International Space Station.

Smoke begins pouring out of the flame trench on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center as space shuttle Discovery lifts off on its STS-124 mission to the International Space Station. Launch was on time at 5:02 p.m. EDT. At left is the fixed service structure with the 80-foot lightning mast on top. Discovery is making its 35th flight. The STS-124 mission is the 26th in the assembly of the space station. It is the second of three flights launching components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. The shuttle crew will install Kibo's large Japanese Pressurized Module and its remote manipulator system, or RMS. The 14-day flight includes three spacewalks. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Tony Gray, Robert Murray, Mike Kerley