U.S. space shuttle lifts off for ISS

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Source: CCTV.com | 03-12-2008 09:14

The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour lifted off early on Tuesday morning from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

The space shuttle Endeavour lifts off on Mission STS-123 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida March 11, 2008. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

It was NASA'S first nighttime shuttle launch since 2006.

The shuttle is transporting several items to the International Space Station: a Canadian-made two-armed robot, a portion of Japan's space laboratory Kibo, and a collection of experiments and equipment.

The Endeavour and its seven-member crew will spend 16 days in space, making this the longest visit a space shuttle will take to the station.

Crew members will build a robot and add a new room for lab storage.