IT TOOK nearly 30 months, more than a billion dollars and the endeavours of 20,000 people. Yet in just 8½ thunderous minutes, Nasa’s space shuttle programme was finally back in orbit yesterday.

The launch of Discovery, which punched out of the Earth’s atmosphere at 17,400mph, brought a chance for the beleaguered US space agency to lay ghosts to rest.

Grounded since February 1, 2003, when Columbia disintegrated 16 minutes from landing, killing seven astronauts, the 24-year-old shuttle fleet has undergone a safety makeover as Nasa fights to restore faith in its long-term plan to send men back to the Moon by 2020, and on to Mars.

But in a haunting reminder of the 2003 tragedy, in which the spacecraft broke up after a wing had been punctured during the launch, video footage showed debris falling from a fuel tank during lift-off.

The debris did not seem to hit the shuttle, and Nasa officials said that there was no immediate cause for concern.

In a second incident, radar and video footage showed a 1.5 in patch of surfacing missing from a heat-resistant tile on the door covering Discovery’s nose landing gear.

John Shannon, space shuttle flight operations manager, said that it was too early to tell whether it may become a safety issue. “Personally, I feel very good about where we are at in this mission right now,” he said.

Seconds before Mission STS-114 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, Mike Leinbach, the flight director, sent a radio message to Colonel Eileen Collins and her six crew. “On behalf of the millions of people who believe so deeply in what we do, good luck, Godspeed — and have a little fun up there,” he said.

As Colonel Collins and her team soared away, Laura Bush, the First Lady, watched from the roof of the launch control centre with the four wives, one husband and 13 children the astronauts left behind.

Joining them were relatives of the astronauts who died when Challenger blew up in 1986 and the families of five of the crew of Columbia.

Discovery, propelled by 7.5 million pounds of thrust and burning fuel at a rate of five tonnes a second, took off at 10.39am local time. Less than 20 minutes later she was 111 miles above the Earth.

The 12-day voyage will take the crew to the International Space Station, where they will deliver parts and supplies to two astronauts — one American, one Russian — and test shuttle safety procedures.

NEW FRONTIERS

Two missions ended in disaster: In 1986 Challenger exploded just over a minute after lift-off; Columbia disintegrated on re-entry in February 2003. In all, 14 astronauts died

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