US launched Discovery ship

22g38 last night (Vietnam time), US Space Agency (NASA) launched space shuttle Discovery into space, starting a 14-day journey on the International Space Station (ISS).

The ship, with seven astronauts on board, carried additional equipment for ISS, including an Italian-made module called Harmony. When this module is installed, Japanese and European laboratories will be put up for assembly in the end of this year and early next year.

The crew is commanded by the astronaut, retired pilot Colonel Pamela Melroy. This is the second female astronaut to take over the role of spacecraft commander in NASA history.

During the stay at ISS, the crew, with the help of two astronauts present on ISS, will carry out five outer space trips, each lasting about 6.5 hours, to build and repair stations.

Discovery ship leaves the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida - Photo: Reuters

On November 6, the ship and crew will return to Earth, while astronaut Daniel Tani will stay in ISS as an astronaut researcher, Clayton Anderson.

T.Vy