The columns of fire below Discovery's rocket boosters appear to jettison pink smoke as the shuttle hurtles.

At this angle, the columns of fire below space shuttle Discovery's solid rocket boosters appear to jettison pink smoke as the shuttle hurtles into space on its STS-124 mission. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center was on time at 5:02 p.m. EDT. 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/Jerry Cannon, George Roberts