Finally

Space shuttle Endeavour finally got off the ground on STS-127 last evening. It was the sixth attempt. STS-127 is scheduled to be a 16 day affair, and its main objective is the completion of Japan's Kibo laboratory on ISS.

On another NASA front, NASA finally has new leadership. The U. S. Senate has confirmed President Obama's nominations of Charles Bolden as administrator and Lori Garver as deputy administrator of the agency. Bolden is a former astronaut and veteran of four shuttle flights, two of which he commanded. Garver served for nine years as the executive director of the National Space Society, one of the most prominent space advocacy groups in the country.