EON

Ft. Lauderdale (EON) – The NASA space shuttle Endeavour lifted off towards the International Space Station on Wednesday.

Pieces of the International Space Station as well as a teacher were aboard the flight. This was a major reminder of the Challenger tragedy a few decades ago when Christa McAuliffe was in the teacher-in-space program and launched with the Challenger. It only got off the ground for a little over a minute though as it blew up on January 28, 1986 during lift-off killing McAuliffe and six astronauts.

This lift off of the Endeavour had Barbara R. Morgan onboard. Morgan was the backup to McAuliffe in the teacher-in-space program.

Morgan will have a primary task on this flight, which is her first. She will be operating the robotic arm of the shuttle while other astronauts complete spacewalks.

She is also expected to have one question and answer session with students on the ground via a video feed.

The Endeavour is carrying a 4,000 pound truss segment and others to be installed into the International Space Station.