Oldest Shuttle Lifts Off With Oldest Astronaut, 61

NASA’s oldest shuttle soared into orbit Tuesday carrying the oldest person ever to fly in space, 61-year-old Story Musgrave.

Eight hours later, the crew of Columbia released the first of two science satellites, an ultraviolet telescope that will peer at stars for the next two weeks.

Columbia lifted off at 2:55 p.m. EST, a few minutes late because of a slight hydrogen leak in the engine compartment. The 4.5-million-pound rocket ship pierced thin clouds as it arced out over the Atlantic.

The near-perfect weather was in contrast to the dangerously high wind, rain and dark clouds that prevented a launch last week. Concern over heat-damaged insulation in a booster rocket on a previous shuttle flight also contributed to the 11-day delay.

NASA added something to the payload because of the postponement: dehydrated turkey and dressing.

“Enjoy a weightless Thanksgiving,” launch control told the five astronauts moments before they left on the 16-day flight, which ends on Dec. 5.

Musgrave broke the age record held by former astronaut Vance Brand, who was 59 when he flew in space in 1990. Musgrave also became the first person to fly six times on space shuttles. Only one other person, moon-walker John Young, has flown so many times in space.

The first priority of Musgrave and his younger crew-mates was Tuesday night’s release of the ultraviolet telescope, intended to observe newborn and dying stars, the moon’s atmosphere and the northern and southern lights on Jupiter. Sporadic communication-system problems delayed the satellite send-off by more than an hour.

The U.S.-German telescope is supposed to fly free of the shuttle for 14 days before being retrieved by the crew for return to Earth. The project costs $93 million.

In the latter half of the mission, Tamara Jernigan and Thomas Jones twice will venture outside to test new spacewalking tools, including a crane that will be used on the future international space station.

This is NASA’s last shuttle flight of the year.