Riding a tower of flames, space shuttle Discovery punches through a fabric of clouds as it roars toward space from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A was on time at 11:59 p.m. EDT. The STS-128 mission is the 30th International Space Station assembly flight and the 128th space shuttle flight. The 13-day mission will deliver more than seven tons of supplies, science racks and equipment, as well as additional environmental hardware to sustain six crew members on the space station. Image credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann Aug. 28, 2009
