NASA is breathing another sigh of relief after an apparently successful shuttle lift-off on the evening of 9 December. As Nature went to press, NASA officials were still checking Discovery's heat shield for any damage, but the night launch, the first since the 2003 Columbia disaster, seems to have passed without incident.

Credit: NASA

“So far, so good,” was the assessment of flight director Tony Ceccacci. Small pieces of foam debris and ice fell off the shuttle's external fuel tank during the launch, but this was expected and they did not appear to strike the shuttle.

The night-time launch meant that NASA officials were unable to capture on-board video images with as much detail as they had on previous launches. The team is still investigating four 'low momentum' readings from the leading edges of the craft's wings, although they are confident that these are not evidence of debris strikes.

On 11 December, Discovery docked with the International Space Station, where it is delivering a new crew member, Sunita Williams, and an $11-million extension to the station's solar-power system.