STS-123 Set To Fly

Everything is going smoothly for a launch tonight of space shuttle Endeavour on STS-123. Even the Florida weather seems in a cooperative mood. The mission will deliver the first of three parts of Japan's Kibo laboratory, as well as a powerful robotic arm from Canada, to the ISS.

A night launch for the shuttle is rare. In fact, this will be the first since the loss of Columbia put added emphasis on checking an orbiter's heat shield. NASA is confident that a new lighting and video system will still allow inspection of the tiles on the orbiter's underbelly during ascent. According to the accident reports after both Challenger and Columbia, however, NASA has tended to get lax on safety procedures after a string of successful missions. We are five years out from Columbia, the shuttle program is winding down, and workers on that program are concerned about their futures. STS-123 could be the first flight in a two year period of increased danger.