Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Launch Pad 39B in a blaze of light amid billows of smoke and steam.

Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Launch Pad 39B in a blaze of light amid billows of smoke and steam. With a crew of seven, mission STS-96 launched on time at 6:49:42 a.m. EDT. STS-96 is a 10-day logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, carrying about 4,000 pounds of supplies, to be stored aboard the station for use by future crews, including laptop computers, cameras, tools, spare parts, and clothing. The mission also includes such payloads as a Russian crane, the Strela; a U.S.-built crane; the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier; and STARSHINE, a student-involved experiment. It will include a space walk to attach the cranes to the outside of the ISS for use in future construction. Landing is expected at the SLF on June 6 about 1:58 a.m. EDT