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Under Tight Security, Shuttle Lifts Off After a Week's Delay

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December 6, 2001, Section A, Page 30Buy Reprints
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The space shuttle Endeavour blasted off for the International Space Station this evening under the tightest security measures in the history of the space program.

With Air Force fighter jets circling nearby, Endeavour and its crew of seven lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 5:19 p.m., lighting the sky with a thick trail of smoke brightly colored coral, gold and then white by the setting sun.

As the shuttle traveled up the East Coast in its flawless climb to orbit, the space station -- with three crew members who are to be brought home on Endeavour's return flight on Dec. 16 -- was above the Arabian Sea west of India.

It was the fourth launching attempt in a week for the shuttle, which is carrying a new crew for the station and 6,000 pounds of supplies. The flight, originally set for Nov. 29, was delayed twice by docking problems with a Russian spacecraft at the station and postponed on Tuesday because of rain and high winds.

The flight is the first by an American space shuttle since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and echoes of the events reverberate through almost every aspect of the mission. Endeavour is carrying 10,000 small American flags that will later be given to families of victims, along with badges, patches and other New York City police and fire regalia.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Air Force, which operates the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, took extraordinary security measures, though they would not say whether there had been any specific threat. In addition to the fighter jets, Apache helicopter gunships were stationed in the area, and military personnel in camouflage uniforms were evident throughout the base.

A no-flight zone for small planes extended 35 to 40 miles from the launching pad, and boats were banned for miles offshore.

About an hour before the launching, a small private plane crossed the security zone and was intercepted by F-15 fighters and forced to land at a civilian airport in Sanford, north of Orlando. Col. Sameul Dick, vice commander of the Air Force's 45th Space Wing, said the craft was no closer than 24 miles to the shuttle and did not appear to have hostile intent.

Maj. Douglas Martin, a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said the people on the plane were handed over to the local authorities. The F.B.I. field office in Tampa had no immediate comment.

The new space station crew, which will stay aboard until May, will be led by Yuri I. Onufrienko, a former senior pilot in the Russian air force who commanded a six-month tour at the defunct Mir space station. Joining him will be two Americans, Capt. Daniel W. Bursch of the Navy and Col. Carl E. Walz of the Air Force, each a veteran of three shuttle flights.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 30 of the National edition with the headline: Under Tight Security, Shuttle Lifts Off After a Week's Delay. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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