Shuttle Launched; Deployment of Antenna Readied

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — The space shuttle Endeavour and its crew rocketed into orbit Sunday and quickly began preparing for the big event: release of an inflatable antenna that will swell to the size of a tennis court.

The six astronauts are scheduled to deploy the experimental antenna this morning, their first major task 177 miles up. Once free of Endeavour, the antenna will be filled with nitrogen gas, becoming the largest inflatable structure in space since the 1960s.

NASA’s newest shuttle roared from its seaside pad at 6:30 a.m. EDT--right on time. By early afternoon, commander John Casper and his crew had begun work in a mini-laboratory filled with crystal, metal and biomedical experiments.

NASA hopes the $14-million antenna experiment will demonstrate the feasibility of launching spacecraft with inflatable structures, which are much lighter--and cheaper--than traditional mechanical systems.