The New Nation - Internet Edition

Agency

Space shuttle Endeavour raced toward the international space station on Saturday for a home makeover job after a brilliant moonlit launch that had NASA managers in awe.

The shuttle and its seven astronauts blasted into orbit Friday night on a mission to redo the insides of the space station, adding some extra bedrooms and a spare bathroom and kitchenette.

"It's our turn to take home improvement to a new level after 10 years of international space station construction," commander Christopher Ferguson called out.

Ferguson and his crew will double as plumbers and installers once they arrive at the 220-mile-high space station Sunday, hooking up extra cooking and sleeping equipment as well as a new water recycling system so the station's crew can expand next year.

The work will keep the astronauts up over Thanksgiving; NASA expects to add a 16th day to the mission, thanks to the on-time launch.

"Very few things that we do beat a night launch like you saw tonight," said LeRoy Cain, chairman of the mission management team. "We're off to a great start on what's going to be an extremely exciting, very complex and challenging mission."

NASA almost delayed the launch because of a door frame left loose at the pad by a worker who promptly admitted his mistake. Launch controllers determined the flapping frame would not hit the shuttle.