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February 22, 1996
Web posted at: 6:40 p.m. EST
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN) -- Space shuttle "Columbia" lifted off from the rocket pad as scheduled at 3:18 p.m. EST (2018 GMT) Thursday, embarking on a risky and complicated 14-day mission.
The blastoff was made in perfect weather conditions and after a brief glitch in a ground computer.
There were a few tense moments just after takeoff. A warning light came on and a meter on board indicated that one of the shuttle's three main engines was at less than half-power.
Commander Andrew Allen told the ground staff the meter showed that one of the engines was less than half of the 100 percent power it needed to put the shuttle into orbit.
NASA officials said the meter was malfunctioning, and that the engines were fine. The crew was never in any danger, NASA said.
If an engine had malfunctioned, it might have forced an emergency landing.
It's the second trip into space for the tethered satellite, a half-ton metal ball that the crew will try to cast out on Saturday. The flight is NASA's chance to make good on a 1992 mission that failed when the tether caught on a protruding bolt.
This time, NASA said, the mechanism is ready.
"Arrivederci, au revoir, auf wiedersehen and adios," Allen said shortly before launch. "We'll see you in a couple of weeks." (1.0M QuickTime movie)
The main goal of the mission is to launch a satellite on a 12.8-mile long tether wire that is as thin as a toothpick. It will fly, still attached to Columbia, about 11 miles above the space ship.
The technology could lead someday to a space elevator which would use very little energy to take people into orbit.
"You can move objects from one orbit to another without any type of propulsion," astronaut Jeff Hoffman said. "It has many applications for future technology."
As the tether moves through space, it will generate electricity, which could be used to power the space station or other orbiting objects.
Four members of the Columbia crew tried to launch a tethered satellite in 1992. That experiment failed when the cable got tangled on a bolt in the cargo bay. They have been training for two years to avoid a repetition of that problem.
"The complexity of the experiment is extreme," said commander Allen.
There is concern that the satellite might break loose from its tether during its launch. But even more worrisome is what may happen as the astronauts try to reel it in.
European astronaut Claude Nicollier said he is concerned the satellite might snap back toward the shuttle, threatening it and the crew inside.
The seven-member crew is the most international set of astronauts in NASA history. Two mission members are from Italy where the tethered satellite was built. The crew also includes a Swiss who represents the European Space Agency. One of the four Americans aboard, payload commander Franklin Chang Diaz, was born in Costa Rica.
The shuttle is due to return March 7.
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