by Alan McBride
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. -- Shuttle Endeavour launched through thin, broken clouds above the Kennedy Space Center in the pre-dawn hours of Monday, climbing toward space with an on-time launch of 4:14 and a handful of seconds.
Weather forecasters had kept a close watch through the hours prior to launch, mindful of the fact that low cloud cover had scuttled a Sunday morning launch attempt.
NASA officials reported no technical issues throughout the course of the countdown. Weather had been the sole concern.
Endeavour's six astronauts, under the command of George Zamka, now begin a 13-day mission to the International Space Station, the first shuttle flight of calendar year 2010.
Endeavour is taking the last of the heavy living-quarter and interior space elements to the International Space Station.
Those elements are the Tranquility node, and a cupola that will be attached to the node. The combined assembly will become part of the core of the orbiting outpost, which is nearly complete.
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