Apod 3.4 Night Launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour

On February 8th at 4:14 A.M., the space shuttle Endeavor launched from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission is headed towards the International Space Station. The launch was originally scheduled for the night before, February 7th, but it was scrubbed minutes before its expected launch time. The mission will deliver the Tranquility module to the ISS. Tranquility will create more room for the astronauts in the ISS and has a large, circular window that will provide enhanced views of space. In this image, you can see large exhaust plumes billowing out of the bottom of the rockets. This night launch is the last night launch for the Space Shuttle program, which will end later on in this year. Only a few more daytime launches are left before the conclusion of this program.