The shuttle Discovery and its crew is launched as STS-26 embarks on a mission marking America's return to space.

The space shuttle Discovery and its five-man crew is launched from pad 39B at 11:37 a.m. as STS-26 embarks on a four-day mission marking America's return to space.

On the first day of orbit, the crew will deploy from the orbiter's payload bay the primary payload, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-C. The inertial upper stage, or IUS, will boost the satellite to a geosynchronous altitude from low Earth orbit. When it place, TDRS-C will relay date from low Earth orbiting spacecraft and air-to-ground voice communications sand television from shape shuttle orbiters during missions. The crew members of STST-26 are Commander Rick Hauck, Pilot Richard Covey, and mission specialists Dave Hilmers, Mike Lounge and George "Pinky" Nelson. Photo Credit: NASA