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Lighting Up the Night Sky

Bolts of lightning in dark sky at night with clouds over launch pad illuminated with lights
Lightning over the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A competes with the xenon lights on the pad illuminating space shuttle Discovery waiting for a scheduled liftoff on the STS-128 mission. Launch was scrubbed due to the weather and another launch attempt is scheduled for Aug. 28.

Lightning over the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A competes with the xenon lights on the pad illuminating space shuttle Discovery waiting for a scheduled liftoff on the STS-128 mission. Launch was scrubbed due to the weather and another launch attempt is scheduled for Aug. 28. Discovery’s 13-day mission will deliver more than 7 tons of supplies, science racks and equipment, as well as additional environmental hardware to sustain six crew members on the International Space Station. The equipment includes a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. The mission is the 128th in the Space Shuttle Program, the 37th flight of Discovery and the 30th station assembly flight.Image Credit: Courtesy of Justin Deniere/EPA