Endeavour lights the sky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven blasted into orbit Tuesday on what was to be the longest space station mission ever, a 16-day voyage to build a robot and add a new room that will serve as a closet for a future lab.

The space shuttle roared from its seaside pad at 1:28 a.m. CDT, lighting up the sky for miles around as it took off on a multinational flight involving Canada and Japan.

It was a rare treat: The last time NASA launched a shuttle at nighttime was in 2006. Only about a quarter of shuttle flights have begun in darkness.

The crew faces a daunting job once they reach the international space station Wednesday night. The astronauts will perform five spacewalks, the most ever planned during a shuttle visit.